out-group
Definition
- Noun:
- A social group excluded from one's own: "out-group" refers to a group of people perceived as not belonging to one's own social group, often viewed with suspicion, hostility, or indifference. It is the opposite of an "in-group."
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- The new student felt like an out-group member because she didn't share the same interests as the popular kids. (She was perceived as not belonging to the dominant social circle.)
- Sociologists study how out-groups are often stereotyped or marginalized by the majority. (Groups excluded from the main social category.)
Advanced Usage
"Out-group bias": a tendency to view one's own in-group more favourably and the out-group less favourably.
- Out-group bias can lead to discrimination in hiring practices. (Prejudice against people not in one's own social circle.)
"Out-group homogeneity effect": the perception that members of an out-group are more similar to each other than members of one's own in-group.
- He thought all fans of the rival team were alike, which is a classic out-group homogeneity effect. (Seeing the out-group as uniform.)
Variants and Related Words
- Out-group (adj): relating to or characteristic of an out-group.
- The out-group members were denied access to the club's facilities. (Belonging to the excluded group.)
Synonyms
- Outsider group: a group of people not part of a particular community or organization.
- Excluded group: a group deliberately left out of a social circle.
Antonyms
- In-group: a social group to which a person feels they belong.
Related Idioms
"Them and us": a phrase describing the division between an in-group and an out-group.
- The company's culture created a "them and us" mentality between managers and workers. (A clear separation between two groups.)
"Outside the circle": being excluded from a social group.
- She always felt she was outside the circle at family gatherings. (Not accepted as part of the group.)