disenfranchise
verb
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What Does It Mean to Disenfranchise Someone?
Disenfranchise first appeared in English in the 17th century, preceded for a period of some 200 years by the now uncommon word disfranchise. Though both words are, rather obviously, related to franchise, they have nothing to do with that word’s current sense “a team that is a member of a professional sports league." The original meaning of franchise was “freedom from servitude or restraint.” Although disenfranchise does broadly signify depriving someone of any of a number of legal rights, it is most often used today of withholding the right to vote, or of the diminished social or political status of a marginalized group.
Examples of disenfranchise in a Sentence
David Rosowsky, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
Those moves are part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to upend the Civil Rights Division's traditions of pursuing cases to protect the civil rights of some of the country's most vulnerable and historically disenfranchised populations.
—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 22 May 2025
The French peasantry has been and still is at risk of being disenfranchised by the very structures claiming to support their prosperity, often at the cost of both their health and land.
— Made By History, Time, 25 Apr. 2025
The fact is that New York City is an outlier in disenfranchising independent voters.
—Dr. Jessie Fields, New York Daily News, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for disenfranchise
Cite this Entry
“Disenfranchise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disenfranchise. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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disenfranchise
verb
Legal Definition
disenfranchise
transitive verb
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