disenfranchised

adjective

dis·​en·​fran·​chised ˌdis-in-ˈfran-ˌchīzd 

: deprived of some right, privilege, or immunity

Tough, resourceful, and determined to help her disenfranchised and disenchanted students learn how to learn and love it, Johnson employs a barrage of techniques.

—Donna Seaman

The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill does what it can, but the millions of mentally ill remain the least supported, the most disenfranchised, and the most excluded people in our society today.

—Oliver Sacks

especially : deprived of the right to vote

The value of the right to vote, however, given the reality of racial voting patterns, will depend on whether it translates into political power and influence for the previously disenfranchised minority.

—Alan Freeman

Examples of disenfranchised in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The latest surge in violence highlights the challenges Syria’s new regime faces in appeasing disenfranchised groups, especially those that remain heavily armed. —Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN, 9 Mar. 2025

During his lifetime, Cobain spearheaded an international phenomenon, becoming not only the most visible representative of Seattle’s grunge scene but also an icon for a whole generation of disenfranchised youth. —Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 20 Feb. 2025

That godly spirit is what guides him to help thousands of disenfranchised people, quietly and swiftly, like the Turpin children, a California family who suffered from abuse, or Megan Markle, who needed refuge and coverage after fleeing the United Kingdom with her husband, Prince Harry. —Dominique Fluker, Essence, 5 Dec. 2024

Support organizations that support the disenfranchised. —Christine Ledbetter, Chicago Tribune, 12 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1818, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for disenfranchised

• americanized
• anathematized
• collateralized
• contextualized
• conventionalized
• demilitarized
• demineralized
• departmentalized
• industrialised
• industrialized
• materialised
• materialized