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Glite Dictionary
to face ostracism

to face ostracism

8.5
To be left out and avoided by people in your group
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : enfrentar el ostracismo
  • The Van Slycks were not the only Mohawks to face ostracism because of their interest in Christianity, but for several reasons their case nevertheless seems unusual.

Examples

  • Many students choose to conform to school rules rather than risk facing ostracism from their peers.

  • So her only two options are to suffer and stay, you know, or to face ostracism if she defies the norm.

  • When she decided to join the debate club, she knew she might face ostracism from her former friends.

  • People who openly express different opinions can often face ostracism within tight-knit communities.

Synonyms

to ostracize
vsto face ostracism
  • US
31 7.7

To leave someone out of a group on purpose

is the passive experience of being socially excluded by others
to outcast
vsto face ostracism
1 5.7

To force someone out of a group so others avoid them

is the experience of being socially shunned rather than the act that causes it

Antonyms

acceptance
104 2.7

Being approved or welcomed by other people

inclusion
65 3.7

Being part of a group, activity, or process

How Excluded

scorned
1 5.8
to face ostracism
8.5
left out
119 3.6
ignored
1.6

Surface Forms

face ostracism infinitive
faced ostracism past
faced ostracism past participle
facing ostracism present participle
faces ostracism third person singular

Morphology

face + ostracism

The meaning is directly compositional: 'face' (to confront or deal with) combined with 'ostracism' (social exclusion) yields 'to be subjected to or confront social exclusion.' The verb + noun pattern 'face X' is a productive, cross-linguistic construction (e.g., face criticism, face opposition), so a B1 learner who knows both words can reliably infer the meaning.

Etymology

Face ostracism joins face meaning 'to experience' with ostracism, a word from old Greece where people wrote a name on a piece of pottery to vote someone away. So to face ostracism means 'to be excluded' by a group.