dispossessed 1 of 2

Definition of dispossessednext

dispossessed

2 of 2

verb

past tense of dispossess
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
Adjective
Conover keeps his readers waiting for too long, almost half the book, before saying anything about how the San Luis Valley came to be a magnet for the dispossessed. — Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2022 Three days after his 10th birthday, his father, a depressed junkman, killed himself, and the experience of misfortune fueled the young artist’s identification with the dispossessed. — Peter Saenger, WSJ, 22 Apr. 2022 Without the voices of the dispossessed, how can there be deconstruction? — Audrey Clare Farley, The New Republic, 3 Jan. 2022
Verb
The youngster was dispossessed but the ball fell to Mac Allister, who curled his effort into the top corner. — Andy Jones, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026 He was tackled and dispossessed with the ball on a trajectory to the goal. — Monica Alba, NBC news, 24 June 2026 The family owners of Fischer Bücherei were Jews of Hungarian origin, who had been dispossessed of their publishing house by the Nazis before it was returned to them after the war. — Literary Hub, 13 May 2026 Kelsy dispossessed San Diego in its defensive third, cut back to evade a defender at the edge of the penalty area, and skipped a shot inside the near post to give the Timbers (3-5-1) a 1-0 lead in the 26th minute. — ABC News, 26 Apr. 2026 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. — Joshua Goodman, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026 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 As Morocco’s indigenous inhabitants, El Hammoumy continued, the Berbers are like other native peoples around the world who have been systematically dispossessed of their lands and heritage for centuries. — Kevin West, Travel + Leisure, 10 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dispossessed
Adjective
  • On the back of a million-pound investment in 2012, the community has organized to restore life to a deprived area hit hard by austerity.
    — Kyle Vanelli, STAT, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Will kids living in deprived areas, without thriving industries, have fewer options?
    — Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 29 July 2026
Verb
  • Instead there is a young woman with a dismissive smile, and the authority of someone who belongs to the house because she cannot be evicted from its history.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026
  • When the government expanded the park in the late 1990s and early 2000s, hundreds of villagers—including Mgesi's family—were forcibly evicted from their ancestral lands.
    — Juliet Kinsman, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • This year, the recipient of the grant was La Source Garouste, a French organization that runs art workshops led by professional artists for some ten thousand disadvantaged children each year.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 8 Sep. 2026
  • And of those who have returned, many are older and more economically disadvantaged.
    — Dina Kraft, Christian Science Monitor, 8 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • For 29-year-old Brian Ngobese, who grew up in South Africa’s impoverished Alexandra township, moments like this mean more than applause.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The story centers on an impoverished young miner living a muted existence in a remote town where emotional reticence is the norm among men.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Lofgren commended Wahab for championing foster youth and others who are underprivileged and vulnerable.
    — Kyle Martin, Mercury News, 2 Sep. 2026
  • While in the city, Diana met AIDS patients at a hospital in Harlem, went to the famous toy store FAO Schwarz, visited with underprivileged children, and attended a gala dinner.
    — Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 21 July 2026
Adjective
  • The game, set to be released in January 2027, is set in early 20th century Japan, following a foreigner who claws his way from destitute stranger to feared yakuza to entertainment tycoon.
    — Todd Spangler, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026
  • The film, a true story, follows Lilly, a destitute Alabama tire factory worker who sues her employer for paying her half the wages her male counterparts received for more than 12 years.
    — Richard Johnson, New York Daily News, 6 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • The Dolphins, resting their talent-needy starting defense, fought with backups that will provide substandard depth this season.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The problem is there’s probably too much good film on Daniels in a QB-needy league to attempt to successfully sneak him through waivers.
    — Rick Stroud, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • Texas Tech is in a region of the state—known as the High Plains—with a severe lack of indigent legal services.
    — Benjamin Wofford, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
  • There are 76 million Americans in this group who are either indigent or children.
    — Gary Franks, Hartford Courant, 24 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Dispossessed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dispossessed. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

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