marginalize
verb
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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 marginalize in a Sentence
Stephen Daw, Billboard, 10 Feb. 2025
The issue first gained widespread prominence in February 2023, when Nic Carter, general partner at Castle Island Ventures, published a report alleging a coordinated effort by federal agencies to marginalize the crypto sector.
—Nina Bambysheva, Forbes, 5 Feb. 2025
Trump doesn’t care about proof of citizenship, diversity, or the marginalized.
—Araceli Cruz, Rolling Stone, 4 Feb. 2025
That risk has proved manageable in the case of northern Iraq: Ankara and the Kurdistan Regional Government have good relations, and the PKK has been marginalized there.
—Halil Karaveli, Foreign Affairs, 3 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for marginalize 
Dictionary Entries Near marginalize
Cite this Entry
“Marginalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/marginalize. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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marginalize
verb
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