marginalized

adjective

mar·​gin·​al·​ized ˈmär-jə-nᵊl-ˌīzd How to pronounce marginalized (audio)
ˈmärj-nə-ˌlīzd
: having marginal social or political status : relegated to an unimportant or powerless 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

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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

Recent Examples on the Web
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Critics argue that dismantling the Department of Education and implementing restrictive policies on educational content could lead to disparities in academic quality and access, particularly for marginalized communities. Scott White, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025 The students read Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States, about America from the perspective of marginalized communities. Lorena O'Neil, Rolling Stone, 9 Mar. 2025 That’s how Hollywood seems to like it: with marginalized communities there to add to the pageantry but not actually have our authentic voices celebrated. Cristina Escobar, refinery29.com, 3 Mar. 2025 Semicolon carries all kinds of books but focuses on titles by marginalized authors or authors whose books are not as often sold in higher numbers elsewhere, Moore said. Shanzeh Ahmad, Chicago Tribune, 1 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for marginalized

Word History

First Known Use

1969, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of marginalized was in 1969

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Cite this Entry

“Marginalized.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/marginalized. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.

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