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 John stood up for the downtrodden, as cliché as that might sound. Gary Graff, Billboard, 2 Apr. 2024 The fact is that Byron had spoken up for the downtrodden. Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024 Boosting growth-strangling spending doesn’t help the downtrodden. Douglas Carr, National Review, 7 Feb. 2024 Main Beach and that cute, twinkly, art-gallery-laden downtown were dotted with the downtrodden as well. Teri Sforza, Orange County Register, 28 Jan. 2024 But López Obrador defines himself as an insurgent politician, fighting for the rights of the indigenous and the downtrodden. Vanda Felbab-Brown, Foreign Affairs, 27 Sep. 2018 Earlier this month, they were booed off the floor at home following a double-digit loss to the downtrodden Detroit Pistons, who came in with the worst record in the NBA at 6-43. Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 16 Feb. 2024 Her performance as the downtrodden Celie in The Color Purple, the newest rendition of Alice Walker’s beloved novel, is changing that. Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 8 Jan. 2024 Scioli depicts Lee as a complicated man who did good and bad, as a vain man looking for validation, and as a man who wanted to bring respect to the downtrodden medium of comics. Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the downtrodden.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near the downtrodden

Cite this Entry

“The downtrodden.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20downtrodden. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.

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