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
Relevance
as in deprived
Related Words
Dissimilar 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
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
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
Chilton’s sonorous voice carries with it the perseverance and anguish of the dispossessed, disenfranchised and violated.
—Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2021
See All Example Sentences for dispossessed
Verb
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
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
Chilton’s sonorous voice carries with it the perseverance and anguish of the dispossessed, disenfranchised and violated.
—Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2021
See All Example Sentences for dispossessed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dispossessed
Verb
-
Prior to his career in government, Rasool, who as a child was evicted from a Cape Town neighborhood for white people, became an anti-Apartheid campaigner.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
14 Mar. 2025
-
Unable to make rent without his father, Rema and his family were evicted from their apartment.—
Mankaprr Conteh,
Rolling Stone,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
In the last election, some of the most deprived areas of the country — based on factors like income, housing and health — voted for the Conservative Party for the first time.—
Josh Holder,
New York Times,
24 June 2024
-
But what makes Seller’s story sing is his vivid recollection of a deprived childhood with demanding parents, his first job as a booking agent, and his coming out during the early days of the AIDS epidemic.—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
26 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
In a searing rebuttal days before the British socialite was convicted for procuring victims for Epstein’s abuse in December 2021, Comey spoke to the perverted duo’s reasons for targeting teens from disadvantaged backgrounds.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
17 July 2025
-
At least 40% of the money would be prioritized for disadvantaged communities, which suffer disproportionately from pollution and other environmental harms.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
7 July 2025
Adjective
-
Will parts of Norway look like Nauru, a formerly lush tropical paradise stripped of its phosphate rock, and now a barren, impoverished cautionary tale?—
Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
-
Likewise, food stamps are still going to be provided to the disabled, families with young children, and the impoverished elderly, even if Democrats want to pretend otherwise.—
Frank Miele,
The Orlando Sentinel,
20 July 2025
Adjective
-
Beyond helping the environment, 5% of company profits go toward empowering children and women in underprivileged communities.—
AllBusiness,
Forbes.com,
3 July 2025
-
Masterson’s work was honored four times by the Robert F. Kennedy Awards for columns and stories about the problems of the disadvantaged and underprivileged.—
Bill Bowden,
Arkansas Online,
18 May 2025
Adjective
-
While talks fell apart back in the day, coming away from a global pandemic can serve as an inspiration for a director and scribe whose previous work on the subject seemed prescience for a year when 2020 was destitute and shut down.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
18 June 2025
-
In fact, the words were taken from a description of the central character of Les Misérables, destitute following his conviction for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his sister’s starving children.—
Graham Robb,
The Atlantic,
9 June 2025
Adjective
-
States and food pantries cannot cover food for needy elderly, children and the disabled without federal support.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
10 July 2025
-
Another calls for evaluating whether hospitals' use of the federal 340b program is following the intent of serving needy populations.—
Kayla Dwyer,
IndyStar,
3 July 2025
Adjective
-
Hearings began in Boston Municipal Court on Monday and continued on Tuesday, with at least four unrepresented indigent defendants, or those who cannot afford a private attorney, being released.—
Flint McColgan,
Boston Herald,
9 July 2025
-
Medicaid is a joint federal and state program that provides medical coverage to indigent Wisconsin residents and is administered by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.—
Liliana Fannin,
jsonline.com,
3 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dispossessed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dispossessed. Accessed 26 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share