ostracize

[ os-truh-sahyz ]

/ ˈɒs trəˌsaɪz /

verb (used with object), os·tra·cized, os·tra·ciz·ing.

to exclude, by general consent, from society, friendship, conversation, privileges, etc.: His friends ostracized him after his father's arrest.

to banish (a person) from his or her native country; expatriate.

(in ancient Greece) to banish (a citizen) temporarily by popular vote.

Nearby words

Also especially British, os·tra·cise.

Origin of ostracize

1640–50; < Greek ostrakízein, equivalent to óstrak(on) potsherd, tile, ballot (akin to óstreion oyster, shell) + -izein -ize

SYNONYMS FOR ostracize

1 shun, snub, blacklist.

ANTONYMS FOR ostracize

1 accept.

Related formsos·tra·ciz·a·ble, adjectiveos·tra·ci·za·tion, nounos·tra·ciz·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ostracise

In their turn they ostracise him after their fashion; so he becomes a silent, solitary youth, self-reliant, and old for his years.
The Gamekeeper at Home|Richard Jefferies
He handled his political opposers with great severity which accounts for the mighty effort made to ostracise him from the Bench.
Sages and Heroes of the American Revolution|L. Carroll Judson
She knew that the world could not afford to ostracise the men,—though happily it might condemn the women.
An Eye for an Eye|Anthony Trollope
It was manifestly the intention of her family to ostracise her altogether.
The Way We Live Now|Anthony Trollope

(following him slightly C.) Why yield to her when we might ostracise her?
Niobe, All Smiles|Harry Paulton and Edward A. (Edward Antonio) Paulton

British Dictionary definitions for ostracise

ostracize

ostracise

/ (ˈɒstrəˌsaɪz) /

verb (tr)

to exclude or banish (a person) from a particular group, society, etc

(in ancient Greece) to punish by temporary exile

Derived Formsostracism, nounostracizable or ostracisable, adjectiveostracizer or ostraciser, noun

Word Origin for ostracize

C17: from Greek ostrakizein to select someone for banishment by voting on potsherds; see ostracon

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for ostracise (1 of 2)

ostracise

chiefly British English spelling of ostracize (q.v.); for suffix, see -ize. Related: Ostracised.

Word Origin and History for ostracise (1 of 2)

ostracize

1640s, from Greek ostrakizein "to banish," literally "to banish by voting with potshards" (see ostracism). Figurative sense of "to exclude from society" is attested from 1640s. Related: Ostracization; ostracized; ostracizing.