: a group that is distinct from one's own and so usually an object of hostility or dislike compare in-group sense 1

Examples of out-group in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Just like cults, marketers exploit vulnerabilities, create in-groups and out-groups and play on emotions to drive behavior. Dr. Mara Einstein, Deadline, 29 Nov. 2024 Paradoxically, then, one of the most pro-social (and universally celebrated moral) emotions, represents a clear threat to diversity and inclusion: a group, system, organization, or indeed society that is optimized for empathy will tend to prioritize the in-group over the out-group. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024 Reactionary populists in Brasília, London, Moscow, New Delhi, Stockholm, and Washington will not behave in the same way or adopt the same criteria for drawing boundaries between in- and out-groups. Justin Casey, Foreign Affairs, 19 Jan. 2023 When revised data support the in-group’s political policies, members of the out-group sometime allege that the numbers were cooked for partisan advantage. Bill Conerly, Forbes, 11 Sep. 2024 In any large organization, there are always smaller cliques, in-groups and out-groups. Francine Russo, Scientific American, 6 Sep. 2024 Studies show that nearly all bosses have—or are seen to have—in-groups and out-groups. Ginka Toegel jean-Louis Barsoux, Harvard Business Review, 1 July 2024 But what happens when being a member of one group means going along with unfair treatment of someone from an out-group? Melanie Killen, Scientific American, 16 Apr. 2024 Much of humans’ tendency toward in-group/out-group thinking, in other words, is not permanently tied to specific human attributes, such as race. Robert Sapolsky, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2019

Word History

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of out-group was in 1906

Dictionary Entries Near out-group

Cite this Entry

“Out-group.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/out-group. Accessed 25 Dec. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!