exploitative
adjective
ex·ploit·ative
ik-ˈsplȯi-tə-tiv 
ˈek-ˌsplȯi-
ˈek-ˌsplȯi-
: 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
exploitatively
adverb
Examples of exploitative in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But lawmakers see the arrangements as exploitative.
—
Jeffrey Kopp,kate Rogers, CNBC, 20 Feb. 2026
The result is a surreal and darkly comic tale set inside a decaying industrial wig factory, where workers are pushed into punishing overtime shifts by the manipulative incentives of an exploitative lady overseer.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 15 Feb. 2026
Populist-leaning Republicans blame the affordability crisis on exploitative elite universities, and target them with punitive endowment taxes.
—Neetu Arnold, Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2026
Revelations in 2020 that Boohoo’s Leicester contractors were subjecting their workers to exploitative pay and unsafe conditions certainly sullied the Midlands city’s reputation.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for exploitative
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Jeffrey Kopp,kate Rogers, CNBC, 20 Feb. 2026
The result is a surreal and darkly comic tale set inside a decaying industrial wig factory, where workers are pushed into punishing overtime shifts by the manipulative incentives of an exploitative lady overseer.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 15 Feb. 2026
Populist-leaning Republicans blame the affordability crisis on exploitative elite universities, and target them with punitive endowment taxes.
—Neetu Arnold, Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2026
Revelations in 2020 that Boohoo’s Leicester contractors were subjecting their workers to exploitative pay and unsafe conditions certainly sullied the Midlands city’s reputation.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for exploitative
Cite this Entry
“Exploitative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exploitative. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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