marginalized
adjective
Tamar MayerSusan M. Squier
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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 marginalized in a Sentence
Jason Jones, New York Times, 15 June 2025
In an effort to share multiple perspectives and historical views of a powerful facet of journalism, this guide features a range of academic journals and book chapters on how citizen media has helped give a voice to marginalized communities and opened dialogue between news producers and consumers.
—David Silverberg, JSTOR Daily, 13 June 2025
This is particularly concerning given that many participants were children and members of marginalized communities.
—Thomas Saccente, Arkansas Online, 9 June 2025
New York City has been — and must always be — a place of tolerance and acceptance for marginalized communities.
—Molly Wasow Park, New York Daily News, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for marginalized
Cite this Entry
“Marginalized.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/marginalized. Accessed 25 Jun. 2025.
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