tr.v. os·tra·cized, os·tra·ciz·ing, os·tra·ciz·es 1. To exclude from a group or society: "Lepers wrapped in bandages—ostracized from their villages and unable to obtain work—rushed up to passing cars, waving crude handmade flags to warn of potholes, in the hope that motorists would fling loose change at them before they got too close" (John Ghazvinian). "Lionesses with worn and missing teeth are not ostracized from their pride, but live out their old age ... supported by the hunting of younger females" (Cindy Engel). 2. To banish by ostracism, as in ancient Greece. [Greek ostrakizein, from ostrakon, shell, potsherd (from the potsherds used as ballots in voting for ostracism); see ost- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.