ostracism

noun

Definition of ostracismnext
1
as in exclusion
treatment that is deliberately exclusionary Teenagers may act against their better judgement to avoid social ostracism.

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2
as in exile
the forced removal from a homeland His family celebrated his safe return after nearly a decade of political ostracism.

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of ostracism In some cases, people who take these risks experience potentially negative social consequences such as disapproval, ostracism and career setbacks. — Catherine A. Sanderson, The Conversation, 3 Mar. 2026 Invisible exiles lose families—parents, siblings, partners, children—and endure social ostracism. — Literary Hub, 18 Feb. 2026 During the global debt crisis of the 1980s, the choice between debt servicing by means of an IMF program and ostracism from global markets was put on broad display. — Sven Van Mourik, The Dial, 31 Mar. 2026 Expect the backlash, posing risks of fandom ostracism for any significant animator seemingly endorsing AI, to play out at late June’s Annecy Festival. — John Hopewell, Variety, 1 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for ostracism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ostracism
  1. exclusion
  2. exile
  3. displacement
  4. expulsion
  5. banishment
Noun
  • Through Nekomba’s journey, the film explores a pre-colonial world that is both beautiful and unsettling, where belonging and exclusion coexist.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 6 July 2026
  • His willingness to move to Rio de Janeiro upon taking the job endeared him to the cynical public, as did his decision to call up Neymar to his squad to quieten the noise the forward’s potential exclusion would have brought with it.
    — Chris Evans, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
Definition of exclusion
Noun
  • Like the building itself, the city of Miami has to some extent become synonymous with the Cuban exile community.
    — Ada Ferrer, The New York Review of Books, 4 July 2026
  • According to its data, 10 self-immolations by Tibetans have occurred while people were in exile.
    — Kanishka Singh, USA Today, 3 July 2026
Definition of exile
Noun
  • Officials caution that not everyone reported missing is necessarily trapped beneath the rubble because communications failures, mass displacement and transportation disruptions have complicated efforts to reunite families.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 4 July 2026
  • But any displacement by immigrants is limited and often dwarfed, as Card's research found, by job increases from new or expanding businesses that immigrants generate.
    — Robert Hormats, Time, 4 July 2026
Definition of displacement
Noun
  • Accra’s 1969 migrant expulsion and Uganda’s mass ban three years later both triggered capital flight and supply chain chaos.
    — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 1 July 2026
  • The poems explore themes of loss, identity, artmaking and the natural world, as well as the 1885 expulsion of Chinese immigrants from Eureka, California.
    — Suzanne Van Atten, AJC.com, 21 June 2026
Definition of expulsion
Noun
  • Sore from the torment of her family’s banishment, Espinoza feels the pulse of current events.
    — Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
  • The appeals court ruled in September 2025 that Mid Vermont Christian must be allowed to participate in state athletics, after two years of banishment had passed.
    — Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Definition of banishment

Browse Nearby Words

ostentatiousness
ostracism
ostracisms
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Cite this Entry

“Ostracism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ostracism. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on ostracism

Nglish: Translation of ostracism for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ostracism

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