ostracism

Everyday

1. Leaving someone out on purpose, so they are not included by a group. tree →
2. (history) In ancient Athens, a vote to send a powerful citizen away from the city for ten years. tree →

In the lessons

In lessons about friendship and bullying, ostracism means deliberately excluding someone, which can hurt as much as words. In history lessons on ancient Greece, Athenians wrote a name on a broken piece of pottery (an ostrakon) to vote someone out.

Examples

• Leaving someone out on purpose is a form of bullying called ostracism. tree →
• The new girl suffered ostracism because she was different. tree →
• In Athens, ostracism sent a man away for ten years. tree →
• Voters scratched names on pieces of pottery for an ostracism. tree →
• Ostracism can make people feel lonely and unwanted. tree →
• Our class talked about how to stop ostracism in the playground. tree →

Note

Uncountable. Verb: ostracise (UK) / ostracize (US). Pronounced «OS-tra-sizm». It comes from the Greek «ostrakon», a broken pot. Not related to «ostrich».