marginalize

especially British, mar·gin·al·ise

[mahr-juh-nl-ahyz]

verb (used with object)

marginalized, marginalizing 

1. to place in a position of minor or marginal importance, significance, relevance, or effect.

   The government is attempting to marginalize criticism and restore public confidence.

2. to isolate or exclude from the dominant culture; perceive or treat as being on the fringes of a society or group.

   All of these policies have marginalized our vulnerable sisters and brothers for their religion, skin color, or sexual orientation.

marginalize

/ ˈmɑːdʒɪnəˌlaɪz /

verb

1. (tr) to relegate to the fringes, out of the mainstream; make seem unimportant

   various economic assumptions marginalize women

Other Word Forms

• marginalization noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of marginalize¹

First recorded in 1825–35 for an earlier sense; marginal + -ize

Example Sentences

The change also shows that the department supports all marginalized racial and ethnic groups, not just African American students, the basis for the lawsuit, district leaders said.

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If we don’t organize, articulate a policy platform and recruit the best and brightest across different generations, we will be marginalized and then extinguished entirely.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

There’s an educational imperative at the heart of “Suffs,” which deals with a subject that has been marginalized in schools and in the collective consciousness.

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Sue’s notoriety continued to swell after appearing on the popular internet talk show “Subway Takes” with the standout zinger: “Gossip is socially useful, especially to women and the marginalized.”

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Their demands include "reparations" for damage caused by corporations and governments, especially to marginalized communities.

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Related Words

• deprecate 
• diminish 
• disparage 
• downplay