: 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.
Some visions of moral progress look forward to a world in which the in-group/out-group distinction has vanished. Nikhil Krishnan, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024 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

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 15 Jan. 2025.

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