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
In 1978, a few enterprising refugees, including Jao and his neighbor Danh Quach, set up shops along a downtrodden section of Bolsa Avenue dotted with salvage yards, repair shops and farmland.
—
Jonathan Horwitz, Oc Register, 26 Apr. 2025
Luke Stanton Eddy co-stars as downtrodden officer worker John opposite Matilda Price as the free-spirited June.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 23 Apr. 2025
Clark Gregg is quietly devastating as downtrodden newscaster Don Hollenbeck, a target of McCarthy’s smear tactics.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2025
This darkly humorous tragedy, written by the Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Sam Shepard in the 1970s, tells the story of the Tates, a downtrodden family of four living on a farm in California where everything is in a state of massive disrepair.
—Alex Jhamb Burns, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downtrodden
Jonathan Horwitz, Oc Register, 26 Apr. 2025
Luke Stanton Eddy co-stars as downtrodden officer worker John opposite Matilda Price as the free-spirited June.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 23 Apr. 2025
Clark Gregg is quietly devastating as downtrodden newscaster Don Hollenbeck, a target of McCarthy’s smear tactics.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2025
This darkly humorous tragedy, written by the Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Sam Shepard in the 1970s, tells the story of the Tates, a downtrodden family of four living on a farm in California where everything is in a state of massive disrepair.
—Alex Jhamb Burns, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downtrodden
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downtrodden
oppressed
Adjective
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All of a sudden, the Trump administration is positioning itself as a champion of the rights of oppressed minorities abroad yearning for the liberty and security that can be found only within America’s borders.—
Noah Rothman,
National Review,
13 May 2025
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For the politically oppressed and those in the global south, cryptocurrency isn't about wealth accumulation.—
Boaz Sobrado,
Forbes.com,
10 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Downtrodden.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downtrodden. Accessed 28 May. 2025.
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