frozen out
Shut out socially
Frozen out describes being excluded or shut out, typically from a group, opportunity, or situation.
The image is of cold rejection—being left outside in the cold while others are let in.
Someone may be frozen out of a deal, a conversation, or a social circle: After the merger, longtime employees found themselves frozen out of decision-making.
The exclusion is usually deliberate rather than accidental.
- ignoredPurposely not noticed
- rejectedRefused or turned away
- excludedShut out, denied entry
- shunnedPersistently avoided socially
- ostracizedExcluded from a group
left in the cold · marginalized · pushed aside · snubbed · blackballed · cold-shouldered · isolated · disenfranchised · denied · cut off · boycotted · abandoned · cast aside · sidelined · shut the door on · outlawed · neglected · left hanging
- abandonmentabandon, abandoned, forsake, desert, leave
- Cold Expressionsbitter cold, bone-chilling, cold snap, cold spell, frigid
- outcastsoutcast, pariah, pariahs, outcasts, outlaws
- sidelinedbenched, shelved, sidetracked, put on hold, on hold
- oustedfired, axed, sacked, canned, terminated