Thesaurus results for DESPOLIATION

despoliation

noun

Definition of despoliation

as in depredation

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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.

Recent Examples of despoliation On social media, Tan was pugilistic to the point of belligerence, casting his political enemies as corrupt malefactors responsible for the despoliation of his beloved city. — Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2025 In the face of such extensive despoliation, grassroots opposition has emerged. — Scott W. Stern, The Atlantic, 2 Oct. 2025 The two latest examples of that despoliation are the Regina Bypass, an expensive highway completed in 2019, and the Global Transportation Hub, an expensive logistics center (canada’s premier inland port) built in 2009. — Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025 From Central America to West Africa, Greece to Indonesia, Clapp serves up a stirring picture of the deliberate and surprisingly profitable despoliation of one half of the planet by the other. — Ian Volner, New York Times, 1 May 2025 For that reason, the Abraham Accords lie in tatters - a despoliation very deliberately aimed at by Iran and Hamas via October 7. — Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024 Landscape exists to register ideas, like dispossession or despoliation, but not feelings. — Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2023

Recent Examples of Synonyms for despoliation

Noun

As the Shiite arc of alliance weakens from Iran to Lebanon due to the US/Israeli depredation of Tehran’s power, Sunni states look set to fill the vacuum.

— Melik Kaylan, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
According to the Montana Grizzly Bear Conflict Dashboard, the state has recorded 101 conflicts so far this year, including 30 livestock depredations and 34 encounters with humans.

— Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 15 July 2026

Definition of depredation

Noun

While the subject matter shifted from bank robberies to art heists, the essence of the character as an effortlessly cool, independent wealthy titan of industry who stole for the thrill of it remained the same.

— Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 29 July 2026
Her most challenging case was that of a cousin who sustained multiple gunshot wounds during a robbery.

— John Semley, Harpers Magazine, 28 July 2026

Definition of robbery

Noun

Cabinet members reserve almost a fifth of the government’s vaccine stockpile for themselves, and the public reacts with mass looting and violent civil unrest.

— Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 25 July 2026
Efforts to prevent looting had been made even before the formation of the MFAA.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 July 2026

Definition of looting

Noun

In Nolan’s telling, his deceit and plundering portend the collapse of the Bronze Age—a foreboding warning about greedy, fading empires that feels a little too relevant.

— Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 16 July 2026
Some have traveled farther as part of colonial-era collections — as far as the British Museum — and been returned; a story unto itself about the plundering of the natural world in the age of empire, and institutions reckoning with their inheritance.

— Tom Page, CNN Money, 19 Mar. 2026

Definition of plundering

Noun

Homer may have viewed Odysseus’s deceit and pillaging as glorious.

— Luis Parrales, The Atlantic, 26 July 2026
Taking the Scenic Route Home After their successful sneak-attack pillaging of Troy, Odysseus’ comrade Menelaus (Jon Bernthal) and his men pack up and head back to Sparta.

— Whitney Friedlander, Vulture, 17 July 2026

Definition of pillaging

Noun

Article continues below Unfortunately, a passing asteroid deposits a killer alien robot in their midst, and the soldiers must fend for themselves as this marauding mech stalks them with guns and lasers blazing.

— Jeff Spry, Space.com, 10 Mar. 2026
Rutter, the club’s record £40m buy from Leeds United, was an instant hit last season with insatiable work rate and marauding runs until an ankle injury ruled him out from March for the rest of the campaign.

— Andy Naylor, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026

Definition of marauding

Noun

To the family’s lawyer, Markus Stötzel, the case is a typical example of Nazi plunder in need of immediate restoration.

— Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 29 June 2026
The second — a fastball Horwitz hit about 100 mph for a double to right field — was the start of a Pirate plunder at Sutter Health Park.

— Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 18 June 2026

Definition of plunder

Browse Nearby Words

despoils

despoliation

despoliations

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“Despoliation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despoliation. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of despoliation

noun

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