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DictionaryostracizeSocial exclusion
verb

ostracize

AHS-truh-size/ˈɑːstrəsaɪz/

To exclude someone from a group or community.

The group ostracizes the person by deliberately closing the gathering's door to exclude that person.

A group of adults deliberately closes a doorway to a social gathering while one excluded person stands outside, intentional rejection and hurt expression, no text.
Etymology
ostracGreektile; potsherd
+izeGreekverb-forming ending

The potsherd connection comes from Athenians scratching names on pottery fragments to vote for banishment. Exclusion by public vote became an image for excluding someone from society or a group.

In context

Unsolicited advice13:38
the source of the family's shame is Gregor's transformation and it is this shame coupled with the fear that I mentioned earlier that causes them to ignore ostracize and abuse Gregor
Why You Can’t Trust Good People | Kafka's Metamorphosis

More examples

  • He feels ostracized when his coworkers leave him out of every gathering.
  • The community ostracized the family after the scandal.
  • Ostracizing someone over a disagreement can destroy a friendship.

Forms

ostracize · ostracizes · ostracized · ostracizing

ostracism noun — The exclusion of someone from a social group.

Similar words

shun
Emphasizes avoiding people rather than excluding them from a group.
exclude
Covers keeping people out for any reason, including practical ones.