English Meaning & Definitions
Exclusion from a society or group; the act of shunning or banishing someone.
- “The whistleblower faced social ostracism from his former colleagues after exposing the company's fraud.”
- “In some traditional communities, ostracism is used as a severe punishment for those who break social taboos.”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
English Antonyms & Opposites
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “ostracism”.
Derived from the Ancient Greek 'ostrakismos', from 'ostrakon', meaning 'potsherd' or 'shell'. In ancient Athens, citizens could vote to exile a person for ten years by scratching their name onto a piece of broken pottery (an ostrakon).
Think of an 'Ostrich' burying its head in the sand to ignore or exclude others.
Frequently Asked Questions About “ostracism”
1. What is the meaning of “ostracism” in English?
In English, ostracism (noun) is defined as: “Exclusion from a society or group; the act of shunning or banishing someone.”.
2. How do you use “ostracism” in a sentence?
“The whistleblower faced social ostracism from his former colleagues after exposing the company's fraud.”
3. What are English synonyms of “ostracism”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “ostracism”?
Derived from the Ancient Greek 'ostrakismos', from 'ostrakon', meaning 'potsherd' or 'shell'. In ancient Athens, citizens could vote to exile a person for ten years by scratching their name onto a piece of broken pottery (an ostrakon).
🇬🇧More English Words to English
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A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.
A specific duration of time equivalent to one hour and forty-six minutes.