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

As the train circumnavigates the globe, Curtis Everette (Chris Evans) leads a group of disenfranchised passengers through the cars to take down society’s elite, who live in luxurious compartments at the front of the vehicle. —Will Harris, EW.com, 12 July 2024

Yet ultimately, campaigners believe that change of some kind will be needed for the country to move forward – and particularly to regain trust among disenfranchised Britons. —Katie Marie Davies, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 July 2024

Voting Rights for People Convicted of Felonies Formerly incarcerated people comprise the largest group of disenfranchised American voters. —JSTOR Daily, 24 June 2024

Related Articles Eric Reinhart: Chicago must remove mental health crisis response from CPD’s plate Like so many other problems that plague our city, these decades of neglect are felt the hardest in our most disenfranchised communities. —Brandon Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1818, in the meaning defined above