marginalize

American  

[mahr-juh-nl-ahyz] / ˈmɑr dʒə nlˌaɪz /

especially British, marginalise

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.

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marginalize British  

/ ˈmɑːdʒɪnəˌlaɪz /

verb

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

   various economic assumptions marginalize women

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Other Word Forms

• marginalization
  noun

Etymology

Origin of marginalize

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

Explanation

When you push people to the edge of society by not allowing them a place within it, you marginalize them. If a public school celebrates only Christmas in December, it can marginalize students who aren't Christian. A society that labels certain people as outside the norm — weird, scary, hateful, or useless — marginalizes those people, edging them out. Native or aboriginal groups often end up in this position, and so do people who are poor, disabled, elderly, or who in other ways are seen as not quite fitting in. The Latin root is margo, "edge, brink, or border." Since the late 1920's marginalize has referred not to a literal edge, but to a powerless position just outside society.

Related Words

• deprecate
• diminish
• disparage
• downplay