marginalized

adjective

mar·​gin·​al·​ized ˈmär-jə-nᵊl-ˌīzd 

ˈmärj-nə-ˌlīzd

: having marginal social or political status : relegated to an unimportant or powerless position within a society or group

Refugees are the world's quintessentially marginalized population: They are by definition located at the edge, beyond boundaries, on the outside.

—Tamar Mayer

… the domination and oppression of women and other marginalized groups within patriarchal culture.

—Susan M. Squier

Did you know?

Marginalized Writing vs. Marginalized People

Marginalize provides a striking case of how thoroughly the figurative use of a word can take over the literal one. The original (and now obsolete) meaning of this word, “to write notes in the margin of,” is analogous to the still-familiar noun marginalia, “marginal notes or embellishments." A margin is, of course, the blank space surrounding the text in a book. Just prior to 1970, marginalize took on the sense that is most commonly encountered today, “to relegate to an unimportant or powerless position” (that is, to the metaphorical margins of society). This use of the verb can be found as far back as 1968; an article in The Los Angeles Times from June 20th of that year reports, “[T]he Negro was kept aside, marginalized, thus composing in its large majority the chronically poor.” In its newer sense, marginalize has assumed a much more prominent place in the vocabulary than it once had.

Examples of marginalized in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Although labor forces could indeed become smaller, these reductions could be offset by greater employment among groups that traditionally have lower employment rates: for example, women (in some countries), older adults, and marginalized communities. —Vegard Skirbekk, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2024

And some of the young people around him are drawing parallels among marginalized groups globally. —Sarah Quiñones Wolfson, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024

Regardless of election results, there will be heavy emotions and potential for civil unrest, which can cause significant concern for marginalized groups. —Essence, 4 Nov. 2024

These inaccuracies can be especially harmful for vulnerable communities, potentially impacting voter turnout among marginalized groups that already face barriers to accessing reliable election information. —Diana Spehar, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1969, in the meaning defined above