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
Once again, our protagonist is forced into a compromising position on the eve of a critical business deal when a downtrodden kidnapper mistakes his driver’s son for his own kid, Trey (Aubrey Joseph).
—
David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 19 May 2025
Welcome to Wrexham season 4 It's been four years since Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney brought a downtrodden soccer club, Wrexham FC, to the spotlight in a real-life Ted Lasso situation.
—Rebecca Aizin, People.com, 16 May 2025
Through little eyebrow raises, adjustments to the set of his mouth, and his slumped posture on Smiley’s couch, Hardy communicates how downtrodden Tarr feels.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 25 Apr. 2025
As for the idea mentioned by Schefter that claims teams are 'already tanking' for the rising sophomore, there are a few downtrodden franchises that would fit that mold.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downtrodden
David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 19 May 2025
Welcome to Wrexham season 4 It's been four years since Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney brought a downtrodden soccer club, Wrexham FC, to the spotlight in a real-life Ted Lasso situation.
—Rebecca Aizin, People.com, 16 May 2025
Through little eyebrow raises, adjustments to the set of his mouth, and his slumped posture on Smiley’s couch, Hardy communicates how downtrodden Tarr feels.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 25 Apr. 2025
As for the idea mentioned by Schefter that claims teams are 'already tanking' for the rising sophomore, there are a few downtrodden franchises that would fit that mold.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downtrodden
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downtrodden
oppressed
Adjective
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Taking part in a cultural boycott as an act of solidarity with an oppressed people is politics and saying no, art should be separate from politics is politics.—
Kamila Shamsie
June 20,
Literary Hub,
20 June 2025
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Serkis keeps the spine of Orwell’s novella, about a group of oppressed farm animals who rebel against their human oppressors, only to repeat the humans’ mistakes, but his version takes a few liberties.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
11 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Downtrodden.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downtrodden. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
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