marginalized

adjective

mar·​gin·​al·​ized ˈmärj-nə-ˌlīzd 

ˈmär-jə-nᵊl-ˌīzd

: relegated to a marginal 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 word 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

In a section of the letter, Dimon advocated for the importance of DEI, outlining several initiatives at the bank aimed at supporting employees and customers who belong to marginalized groups. —Max Zahn, ABC News, 8 Apr. 2024

Republican governors in both states signed strict laws preventing taxpayer dollars from going toward certain positions or training tailored to help marginalized groups succeed on campus. —Lily Kepner, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024

His projects often came at the expense of marginalized groups, particularly in the Bronx, where Mr. Moses sliced and diced poor neighborhoods to build highways. —Hillary Chura, The Christian Science Monitor, 2 Apr. 2024

There are also the more intangible factors, some of which include cultural biases that can negatively affect the compensation of marginalized groups. —Roxane Gay, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2024

For marginalized groups, the precariousness is heightened. —Ebony Flake, Essence, 26 Mar. 2024

The provision of life-saving treatment to a marginalized community should not be determined by the balance sheet. —Varun Kapur, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2024

Daniel Oppong, founder of The Courage Collective, a consultancy that advises companies on DEI, said DEI was created because marginalized communities have not always had equal opportunities for jobs, or felt a sense of belonging in majority-White corporate settings. —Nicquel Terry Ellis, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024

Imagine if more men in leadership positions would take the risk of publicly supporting those in marginalized groups, the world would be a better place. —Teresa Hopke, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1969, in the meaning defined above