ostracize
[os-truh-sahyz]
- 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.
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Also especially British, os·tra·cise.
Origin of ostracize
Synonyms for ostracize
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comAntonyms for ostracize
1. accept.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for ostracization
Contemporary Examples of ostracization
What can this tell us about the history of disability and ostracization?
My family suffers from the ostracization I experienced until this very day.
Historical Examples of ostracization
She was also too heavily conditioned to graduate, and she hated college since her ostracization by the Sans.
Marjorie Dean College JuniorPauline Lester
ostracize
ostracise
- to exclude or banish (a person) from a particular group, society, etc
- (in ancient Greece) to punish by temporary exile
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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 ostracization
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.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper