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
Helping the poor and downtrodden is central to Catholic teaching, a mission Pope Francis elevated.
—
Sonari Glinton, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
The play is also cut so that, while the lower class denizens of this downtrodden village are mentioned constantly, they’re not really seen, heightening the interactions among the town’s swindling leaders and their swindling faux-inspector guest.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 26 Mar. 2025
Connelly’s easy-going leadership style has helped relax what could often be a nervous, downtrodden basketball operations department.
—Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 30 May 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for downtrodden
Sonari Glinton, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
The play is also cut so that, while the lower class denizens of this downtrodden village are mentioned constantly, they’re not really seen, heightening the interactions among the town’s swindling leaders and their swindling faux-inspector guest.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 26 Mar. 2025
Connelly’s easy-going leadership style has helped relax what could often be a nervous, downtrodden basketball operations department.
—Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 30 May 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for downtrodden
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downtrodden
oppressed
Adjective
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The story primarily follows orphaned sisters Vi (Hailee Steinfeld) and Powder/Jinx (Ella Purnell), who get caught in the clash between a wealthy utopia and its oppressed underbelly.—
Huntley Woods,
EW.com,
9 Aug. 2025
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My hope is that people will rally behind my message, and the Pride Warriors can be used as a tool to unite the LGBTQA community, both with each other, and with other marginalised and oppressed communities such as people of color, immigrants, and women.—
Gary Adrian Randall,
Denver Post,
25 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Downtrodden.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downtrodden. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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