ostracization

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˌɑstrəsɪˈzeɪʃən/ UK /ˌɒstrəsaɪˈzeɪʃən/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
the act of excluding someone from a group or society

Whistleblowers often face social ostracization within their own profession.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the act of excluding... exclusion banishmentshunningexile expulsionblackballingrejection isolation

Opposites

inclusion acceptance welcome embrace

Word family

Related forms ostracize ostracism

Etymology

From 'ostracize' (Greek 'ostrakizein', 'to banish by potsherd vote', from 'ostrakon', 'potsherd, shell') plus '-ation', referring to the Athenian practice of voting to banish on pottery shards.

ὀστρακίζειν Ancient Greek ὄστρακον Ancient Greek

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# ostracization

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˌɑstrəsɪˈzeɪʃən/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌɒstrəsaɪˈzeɪʃən/

## Meanings
1. the act of excluding someone from a group or society

## Examples
- Whistleblowers often face social ostracization within their own profession.

## Synonyms
- exclusion
- banishment
- shunning
- exile
- expulsion
- blackballing
- rejection
- isolation

## Antonyms
- inclusion
- acceptance
- welcome
- embrace

## Related Forms
- ostracize
- ostracism

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: ὀστρακίζειν
- Root: ὄστρακον

## Etymology
From 'ostracize' (Greek 'ostrakizein', 'to banish by potsherd vote', from 'ostrakon', 'potsherd, shell') plus '-ation', referring to the Athenian practice of voting to banish on pottery shards.

## AI Etymology
Ostracization is from 'ostracize' (Greek 'ostrakizein', 'to banish by potsherd vote', from 'ostrakon', 'potsherd, shell') plus '-ation', referring to the Athenian practice of voting to banish on pottery shards. Important recorded forms include ὀστρακίζειν (Ancient Greek) and ὄστρακον (Ancient Greek). The modern sense follows that older lexical line closely. In current use it covers the act of excluding someone from a group or society. The wider family includes related words such as ostracize and ostracism.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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