as in deprived
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
as in evicted
to end the occupancy or possession of
opponents of gentrification claim that the process unfairly dispossesses poorer residents of their long-established homes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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 dispossessed
Audrey Clare Farley, The New Republic, 3 Jan. 2022
And when Israel gained its independence in 1948, Zionism became the world’s first successful Indigenous movement of a dispossessed and colonized people regaining sovereignty in their Indigenous homeland.
—Micha Danzig, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Dec. 2021
CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026
The growth of colonial Australian society came at the expense of the Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islander peoples, who were often dispossessed of their land, exposed to foreign diseases, and either pushed into marginal areas or forcibly assimilated into European culture.
—Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dispossessed
Adjective
Without the voices of the dispossessed, how can there be deconstruction?
—Audrey Clare Farley, The New Republic, 3 Jan. 2022
And when Israel gained its independence in 1948, Zionism became the world’s first successful Indigenous movement of a dispossessed and colonized people regaining sovereignty in their Indigenous homeland.
—Micha Danzig, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Dec. 2021
Verb
Calling his father and uncle gusanos — or worms, a Spanish-language term coined by Castro to denigrate those fleeing the island — the agent seized the bank and, in an instant, dispossessed a family that arrived from Spain in the 16th century.
—CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026
The growth of colonial Australian society came at the expense of the Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islander peoples, who were often dispossessed of their land, exposed to foreign diseases, and either pushed into marginal areas or forcibly assimilated into European culture.
—Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dispossessed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dispossessed
Adjective
-
Rayner is a former carer and trade unionist who came from a deprived household in Stockport, near Manchester, and became a mother at 16.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
14 May 2026
-
The alliance jointly fought the 2024 general election and deprived Modi of an outright majority, forcing him to rely on the support of regional parties to form a coalition government.—
Shilpa Jamkhandikar,
USA Today,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
If fees are not properly disclosed, tenants can not be evicted for failing to pay those charges.—
Kenny Choi,
CBS News,
6 June 2026
-
And the gameplay wrinkles weren't much better with the Soulmates twist meaning people were playing (and being evicted) as pairs for the first few weeks.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
But Andreassen’s biggest gripe with the system remains its ability to let talented kids from disadvantaged backgrounds slip through the cracks.—
Andy Yamashita,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 June 2026
-
In 2006’s Joy in the Hood, Bishop traveled to disadvantaged areas all around Ireland to teach stand-up comedy.—
Emily Weaver,
PEOPLE,
5 June 2026
Adjective
-
Rural Cuba was profoundly impoverished and underdeveloped before and during the Batista era, and land ownership was scant among the working poor.—
Max Saltman,
CNN Money,
4 June 2026
-
So much for bringing the experience of art to culturally impoverished Butte.—
Jonathan Franzen,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
Adjective
-
Jackson would invite hundreds of children to come play at his ranch, particularly ill and underprivileged kids.—
Brianna Zigler,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 June 2026
-
To combat this, the MSG family of companies announced Wednesday an initiative through its partner, Garden of Dreams Foundation, to give away 250 free tickets for each of Games 3 and 4 to underprivileged youth throughout New York City.—
Devon Henderson,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
Adjective
-
What’s at stake for these retirees, then, is not becoming destitute, but rather not fully enjoying the fruits of their labor.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 May 2026
-
As the truly destitute are not likely to receive such invitations, this petty thievery is simply an abuse of hospitality and an insult to those who have offered it.—
Judith Martin,
Sun Sentinel,
12 May 2026
Adjective
-
Separately, the administration swiped $35 million allocated to needy children and drug prevention to pay for efforts to kill that amendment and another legalizing marijuana.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
6 June 2026
-
This year, owing to a mixup in the congressional budget, one of the government’s most important scholarships was left severely underfunded, depriving thousands of Peru’s neediest high-school graduates of the opportunity to continue their studies at local universities.—
Daniel Alarcón,
New Yorker,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
Landau previously held a variety of positions related to indigent defense in Utah, including working as the executive director of Utah Indigent Defense Commission, an organization that supports indigent defense in the state.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
27 May 2026
-
The organization analyzed actuarial figures from the Social Security Administration and found that as many as 400,000 poor and disabled people and indigent older people could have their support cut or eliminated.—
Sarah D. Wire,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dispossessed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dispossessed. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
