the downtrodden
noun
: people who are without hope because of being treated badly by powerful people, governments, etc.
He showed compassion for the downtrodden.
Examples of the downtrodden in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In the span of three short weeks, a rookie quarterback and a rookie running back have revitalized the downtrodden Big Blue with sheer frat-bro energy.
—
Luca Evans, Denver Post, 16 Oct. 2025
Trump and Xi are visiting misfortune upon the downtrodden, expect all of their policies to be defended by vocal loyalists, and play fast and loose with economic data.
—Vincent Ni, NPR, 20 Sep. 2025
Ai Weiwei’s work frequently champions free speech, gives a voice to the downtrodden.
—Leslie Katz, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
This is an incident that genuinely occurred in 1977, but its atmosphere of capitalist disillusionment, of the downtrodden violently rising against the smug and the wealthy, immediately seizes the contemporary imagination.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the downtrodden
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.
Luca Evans, Denver Post, 16 Oct. 2025
Trump and Xi are visiting misfortune upon the downtrodden, expect all of their policies to be defended by vocal loyalists, and play fast and loose with economic data.
—Vincent Ni, NPR, 20 Sep. 2025
Ai Weiwei’s work frequently champions free speech, gives a voice to the downtrodden.
—Leslie Katz, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
This is an incident that genuinely occurred in 1977, but its atmosphere of capitalist disillusionment, of the downtrodden violently rising against the smug and the wealthy, immediately seizes the contemporary imagination.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the downtrodden
Cite this Entry
“The downtrodden.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20downtrodden. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share