as in oppressed
suffering grave abuse or injustice at the hands of one in authority
a war that was supposed to liberate the downtrodden citizens of that nation
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Recent Examples of downtrodden
Plemons plays a desperate and downtrodden man convinced that humanity is being experimented on by a race of aliens.
—
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2025
The Nationals, one of the most downtrodden teams in the major leagues, outhit the Giants 17-3 and didn’t bother with a doggie bag while leaving 10 runners on base.
—Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2025
After the game, a downtrodden Lindor took more than his fair share of the blame for how far this Mets team has fallen.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Aug. 2025
Can these Tigers simply hang on over the final two months of the season to win a downtrodden division?
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downtrodden
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2025
The Nationals, one of the most downtrodden teams in the major leagues, outhit the Giants 17-3 and didn’t bother with a doggie bag while leaving 10 runners on base.
—Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2025
After the game, a downtrodden Lindor took more than his fair share of the blame for how far this Mets team has fallen.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Aug. 2025
Can these Tigers simply hang on over the final two months of the season to win a downtrodden division?
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downtrodden
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downtrodden
oppressed
Adjective
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One answer was to build a Jewish state; the other, to fight for the emancipation of all oppressed people through universalist, often left-wing, politics.—
Ian Buruma,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
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To One Piece fans, the flag symbolizes Luffy’s quest to chase his dreams, liberate oppressed people, and fight the autocratic World Government.—
Lex Harvey,
CNN Money,
20 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Downtrodden.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downtrodden. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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