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

Example Sentences

These feelings have morphed into, as I’ve heard it, “showing empathy for categories of people who are marginalized and villainized and did nothing to bring it on themselves.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Collecting in a wide range of styles still continues, including non-Jewish artists along with what a label calls—weirdly and confusingly, given the museum’s Judaic focus—“historically marginalized voices.”

From The Wall Street Journal

His political activism too was grounded in the desire to make life better for those historically marginalized by policy and culture.

From Los Angeles Times

More research is needed to explore how school reopening influenced children in marginalized communities, where the impact may have been even more significant.

From Science Daily

And when I accepted the role, we’re giving the Hollywood treatment to a bunch of marginalized communities and we’re telling truly with our film, “Latinos are Hollywood.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• deprecate
• diminish
• disparage
• downplay