as in oppressed
suffering grave abuse or injustice at the hands of one in authority
a war that was supposed to liberate the downtrodden citizens of that nation
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Recent Examples of downtrodden
Southern Miss’ Charles Huff has had a strong debut season at what was a downtrodden program, going 7-5 at a place that had won a total of four games over the previous two years.
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Bruce Feldman, New York Times, 1 Dec. 2025
The exuberant Daniels was much more downtrodden, and there seemed to be many thoughts running through his mind.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 28 Nov. 2025
Not in any way, uh, a downtrodden victim.
—Deborah Unger, Scientific American, 5 Nov. 2025
Much of her derision is reserved for Joe (Adam Godley), her downtrodden husband and more pragmatic partner-in-crime.
—Jon O'Brien, IndieWire, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downtrodden
Bruce Feldman, New York Times, 1 Dec. 2025
The exuberant Daniels was much more downtrodden, and there seemed to be many thoughts running through his mind.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 28 Nov. 2025
Not in any way, uh, a downtrodden victim.
—Deborah Unger, Scientific American, 5 Nov. 2025
Much of her derision is reserved for Joe (Adam Godley), her downtrodden husband and more pragmatic partner-in-crime.
—Jon O'Brien, IndieWire, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downtrodden
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downtrodden
oppressed
Adjective
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Ethics of risk There are many examples of Christian leaders who have taken on risks out of a religious and moral obligation to provide spiritual care for people in need or advocate for oppressed communities.—
Laura E. Alexander,
The Conversation,
10 Feb. 2026
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The film is really about being Iranian, growing up in an oppressed religious context, and becoming full of rage and anger and hate and leaving your country for the hope of finding a better life.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Downtrodden.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downtrodden. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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