marginalize
verb
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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 marginalize in a Sentence
Antoine Andrews, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025
Henderson, a director and image maker, seeks to humanize those marginalized by society, with her work featured at the MET Museum and in Vogue and Rolling Stone.
—Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 17 Mar. 2025
Too often, the stories of pioneering Black women like Dr. Ferebee are marginalized or forgotten, overshadowed by those whose accomplishments are more visible in mainstream narratives.
—Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 16 Mar. 2025
Across the region, Islamic extremists have recruited among groups marginalized and neglected by central governments.
—Monika Pronczuk and Misper Apawu, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for marginalize
Cite this Entry
“Marginalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/marginalize. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
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marginalize
verb
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