* Formal: The villagers ostracized the family after they refused to participate in the annual harvest festival.
* Casual: After making a controversial comment online, she was ostracized by her friends.
* Figurative: The new student felt ostracized by the cliquey group in the lunchroom.
* Historical: In ancient Athens, ostracizing a citizen meant they were banished for ten years.
The word "ostracize" implies a deliberate act of exclusion and can be used to describe social, political, or even cultural situations.