dispossessed

1 of 2

adjective

dis·​pos·​sessed ˌdis-pə-ˈzest 

also -ˈsest

: deprived of homes, possessions, and security

dispossessed

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of dispossess

Examples of dispossessed in a Sentence

Adjective

The organization helps dispossessed people rebuild their lives.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Conover keeps his readers waiting for too long, almost half the book, before saying anything about how the San Luis Valley came to be a magnet for the dispossessed. — Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2022

Three days after his 10th birthday, his father, a depressed junkman, killed himself, and the experience of misfortune fueled the young artist’s identification with the dispossessed. — Peter Saenger, WSJ, 22 Apr. 2022

Without the voices of the dispossessed, how can there be deconstruction? — Audrey Clare Farley, The New Republic, 3 Jan. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing dispossessed

• the dispossessed

Rhymes for dispossessed

• abreast
• accessed
• addressed
• appressed
• armrest
• arrest
• assessed
• attest
• backrest
• behest
• bequest
• caressed