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ex·ploit·ative | \ ik-ˈsplȯi-tə-tiv 
, ek-ˌsplȯi- \
, ek-ˌsplȯi- \Definition of exploitative
: exploiting or tending to exploit especially : unfairly or cynically using another person or group for profit or advantage exploitative terms of employment an exploitative film
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Examples of exploitative in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web Universities have an imperative to recognize the intersectionality of climate justice and divest from these unethical, extractive and exploitative industries.
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De Elizabeth, Teen Vogue, "Protesters Interrupt Harvard-Yale Football Game to Fight Back Against Climate Change," 24 Nov. 2019 The fallout led to questions about how the show, considered by many to be cruel and exploitative, was allowed to run for more than a decade.
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Rob Picheta, CNN, "Landmark ruling could change reality TV as we know it," 27 Oct. 2019 Presenting personal pain as a thriller might seem exploitative.
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The Economist, "Carmen Machado’s alternative memoir of abuse," 21 Nov. 2019 The site generated and distributed exploitative content, and had infrastructure in place that could have supported up to a million users.
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Wired, "How a Bitcoin Trail Led to a Massive Dark Web Child-Porn Site Takedown," 16 Oct. 2019 The concerns are linked to the long history of exploitative encounters between researchers and vulnerable populations.
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Adrian Pecotic, Quartz, "The thorny ethics of collecting genetic data from indigenous people," 9 Oct. 2019 Factory labor has historically been exploitative — harsh work, often done by young people at low pay — and that is still very much the case today.
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Craig Fehrman, BostonGlobe.com, "How factories built nations and lifestyles," 23 Feb. 2018 The Hollywood Reporter said the studio was worried that the film, which was originally titled Red State vs. Blue State, would appear exploitative, even though it was intended as a satire.
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David Sims, The Atlantic, "How The Hunt Became a Political Rorschach Test," 13 Aug. 2019 Deception aside, deepfake videos can feel invasive and exploitative even when they are clearly labeled as fake.
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David Singer, The Hollywood Reporter, "How Hollywood Can (and Can’t) Fight Back Against Deepfake Videos (Guest Column)," 7 Sep. 2019
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'exploitative.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Time Traveler for exploitative
The first known use of exploitative was in 1879
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