ostracization

American  

[os-truh-sahy-zey-shuhn] / ˌɒs trəˌsaɪˈzeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act of excluding someone from society, friendship, conversation, privileges, etc., typically by general and often tacit consent.

   Shame and ostracization left a bitter taste in the mouths of any who dared to offer an unpopular opinion.

2. the act of banishing someone from their native country or home territory.

   Her memoir tells a story of exile and ostracization—a disturbed teen kicked out of her home and driven from her small town to wander abroad.

3. (in ancient Greece) the act of banishing a citizen temporarily by popular vote.

   Around 431 b.c., ostracization of the philosopher Anaxagoras was orchestrated for his own protection by his friend, the statesman Pericles.

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Etymology

Origin of ostracization

First recorded in 1865–70; ostracize ( def. ) + -ation ( def. )