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Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. v. To exclude from a group. See Synonyms at blackball.
  2. v. To banish by ostracism, as in ancient Greece.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. To exile by ostracism; banish by popular vote, as persons dreaded for their influence or power were banished by the ancient Athenians. See ostracism, 1.
  2. Hence To banish from society; put under the ban; exclude from public or private favor.
  3. Also spelled ostracise.

Wiktionary

  1. v. To exclude (a person) from society or from a community, by not communicating with them or by refusing to acknowledge their presence; to refuse to talk to or associate with; to shun.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. v. To exile by ostracism; to banish by a popular vote, as at Athens.
  2. v. To banish from society, by a general consent; to exclude from social, political, or private favor; to exclude from conversation or friendship; to shun. A person may be ostracized by a formal vote or by a widespread but informal agreement.

WordNet 3.0

  1. v. avoid speaking to or dealing with
  2. v. expel from a community or group

Etymologies

  1. Greek ostrakizein, from ostrakon, shell, potsherd (from the potsherds used as ballots in voting for ostracism); see ost- in Indo-European roots.

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‘ostracize’ has been looked up 2056 times, loved by 2 people, added to 40 lists, and has a Scrabble score of 20.