exploitation

noun

ex·​ploi·​ta·​tion ˌek-ˌsplȯi-ˈtā-shən 

: 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

The affidavit states that McClain had been with the campus police department since at least 2023 and that his assignment at SDSU did not include investigating crimes such as child exploitation. —City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026

But in countries with long memories of external exploitation, the political risk of appearing to trade sovereignty for aid is acute. —Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 18 Mar. 2026

Elsewhere, water is used as a tool of exploitation; workers in Tamil Nadu are, according to authors Thivya Rakini and Oorja Engineer, repeatedly denied hydration breaks in order to meet production targets. —Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 18 Mar. 2026

Camus’s conspiracy that a cabal of powerful elites is plotting a great replacement to ensure the exploitation and domination of low- and middle-income White people is nothing short of a grand distraction. —Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1795, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for exploitation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation