Definition

1. Noun:
   • The act of excluding someone from a group or society by general agreement: "Ostracism" refers to the formal or informal practice of deliberately excluding an individual from social acceptance, privileges, or membership.
   • The state of being excluded or banished in this way: It also describes the condition or experience of the person who has been ostracized.

Usage and Examples

• Noun:
  • The politician faced social ostracism after the scandal. (He was excluded from social circles and political groups by common agreement.)
  • Fear of ostracism can pressure people to conform to group norms. (The fear of being excluded can influence behavior.)
  • In ancient Athens, ostracism was a formal procedure to banish a citizen for ten years. (This is a historical example of the practice.)

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• Social Ostracism: Often used to describe exclusion in modern social, professional, or community contexts.
  • Workplace ostracism, such as being ignored by colleagues, can be psychologically damaging.
• Political Ostracism: Refers to the exclusion of a person or faction from political life or influence.
• Self-Imposed Ostracism: In some contexts, it can describe a voluntary withdrawal, though the core meaning implies exclusion by others' consent.

Variants and Related Words

• Ostracize (verb): To exclude someone from a society or group.
  • The community decided to ostracize him for his actions.
• Ostracizable (adjective): Capable of being ostracized.

Synonyms

• Exclusion: The process of not including someone or something.
• Banishment: The act of sending someone away, especially from a country or community.
• Shunning: Deliberately avoiding association with someone.
• Blackballing: Rejecting someone, especially in a secret vote for membership.

Idioms and Phrases

• To send someone to Coventry: A British idiom meaning to ostracize someone by refusing to speak to or associate with them.
  • After he reported the safety violations, his coworkers sent him to Coventry.

Noun

1. the act of excluding someone from society by general consent
2. the state of being banished or ostracized (excluded from society by general consent)
   • the association should get rid of its elderly members--not by euthanasia, of course, but by Coventry