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
Luke Thompson returns as the second-oldest Bridgerton son, Benedict, while Yerin Ha joins the cast as the downtrodden Sophie Baek.
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Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 29 Jan. 2026
That intrusion aligns with a murder, and of course, the newcomer is the group’s first suspect — until Blanc comes to the rescue, always willing to defend the downtrodden, forgotten, and ignored.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2025
In addition to Longo, Pope Leo elevated six other men and women to sainthood, including an Armenian archbishop tortured and killed after refusing to renounce Catholicism, a Venezuelan physician who dedicated his service to the poor and several nuns who spent decades helping the downtrodden.
—Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for the downtrodden
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Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 29 Jan. 2026
That intrusion aligns with a murder, and of course, the newcomer is the group’s first suspect — until Blanc comes to the rescue, always willing to defend the downtrodden, forgotten, and ignored.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2025
In addition to Longo, Pope Leo elevated six other men and women to sainthood, including an Armenian archbishop tortured and killed after refusing to renounce Catholicism, a Venezuelan physician who dedicated his service to the poor and several nuns who spent decades helping the downtrodden.
—Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
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
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 3 Feb. 2026.
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