exploitation

noun

ex·​ploi·​ta·​tion ˌek-ˌsplȯi-ˈtā-shən How to pronounce exploitation (audio)
: an act or instance of exploiting
exploitation of natural resources
exploitation of immigrant laborers
clever exploitation of the system

Examples of exploitation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And yet the commercial exploitation of family trauma left me feeling deeply uncomfortable and even ashamed, like I was caught holding a ticket stub for the rubbernecking line at a train crash. Evelyn McDonnell 5, Literary Hub, 5 June 2025 Centered on themes of resilience and ecological memory, the exhibition contrasts the exploitation of land with enduring practices of care and cultivation. Okla Jones, Essence, 4 June 2025 The effort did decrease rosewood exports to China from Africa, but illicit Chinese traders have found workarounds, identifying a substitute species of wood and restarting the cycle of exploitation. Justyna Gudzowska, Foreign Affairs, 2 June 2025 For that show, there are no flashbacks showing his torment from that life, but images of Black suffering are so rampant in our culture that depiction can come close to exploitation. Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 2 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for exploitation

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, from exploiter "to exploit entry 2" + -ation -ation

First Known Use

1795, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of exploitation was in 1795

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Exploitation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exploitation. Accessed 9 Jun. 2025.

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