exploitative

adjective

ex·​ploit·​ative ik-ˈsplȯi-tə-tiv  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

Both of the above are essential to the show’s endgame, ensuring that a sequence of unhinged kickers ostensibly meant to be devilish fun instead come across as mean-spirited and exploitative. —Judy Berman, Time, 8 Jan. 2026

The story is unbelievable and upsetting, but the documentary is not exploitative. —James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Jan. 2026

This includes the inherently exploitative nature of apparel production that is undergirded by unequal power dynamics between the global North and the global South. —Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 15 Dec. 2025

Whitmore’s depiction of rural, working-class life is strange but never surreal or exploitative. —Emma Alpern, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

exploit entry 2 + -ative

First Known Use

1879, in the meaning defined above