as in to criticize
to not allow (someone) to be included in a group; to exclude (someone) from a group
She was ostracized by the scientific community for many years because of her radical political beliefs. The other girls ostracized her because of the way she dressed.
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Recent Examples of ostracize
Mounds of floral tributes piled up outside the gates of Buckingham Palace and Diana’s home at Kensington Palace to mourn a princess who had been ostracized by the royal family after her divorce from Charles in 1992.
—
ABC News, 22 Feb. 2026
Jackson also touched on sports at a time when Black athletes were ostracized for kneeling during the national anthem.
—Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 17 Feb. 2026
As a result, athletes may be less likely to seek treatment and to come forward with their issues for fear of not wanting to have restrictions on their practice and competition put in place, of being ostracized from their teammates or of losing sponsorship or scholarship opportunities.
—Emily Hemendinger, The Conversation, 13 Feb. 2026
Roper, meanwhile, felt ostracized by her bandmates.
—Andy Greene, VIBE.com, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ostracize
ABC News, 22 Feb. 2026
Jackson also touched on sports at a time when Black athletes were ostracized for kneeling during the national anthem.
—Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 17 Feb. 2026
As a result, athletes may be less likely to seek treatment and to come forward with their issues for fear of not wanting to have restrictions on their practice and competition put in place, of being ostracized from their teammates or of losing sponsorship or scholarship opportunities.
—Emily Hemendinger, The Conversation, 13 Feb. 2026
Roper, meanwhile, felt ostracized by her bandmates.
—Andy Greene, VIBE.com, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ostracize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ostracize
Verb
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Two advisers to Qatar told me that Global Risk had also conducted background checks and written reports on people linked to campaigns criticizing Qatar; corporate-intelligence firms often provide such open-source research.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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However, in a pair of letters to the editor published in the Journal of Pediatrics, doctors criticized the article as hyped.—
David Hilzenrath,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Instead, some progressive allies rushed to denounce Israel’s military response while either praising or refusing to condemn Hamas.—
Eyal Press,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and the California Republican Party have been among the few to denounce the online group.—
Rachel Royster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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At that point, Cupe allegedly became agitated and attacked the bystander with a box cutter, slashing him across the chest.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
2 Apr. 2026
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Trump has also threatened to attack Iran’s Kharg Island oil export hub.—
Will Weissert,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ostracize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ostracize. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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