1
as in used
to take unfair advantage of
the type of person who exploits a friend's good nature by constantly sponging off of him
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in manipulated
to control or take advantage of by artful, unfair, or insidious means
a politician more than willing to exploit any national tragedy for political gain
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in utilized
to put into action or service
it will be a shame if you don't exploit your artistic talent to the fullest
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of exploited
Such a vision remains a tough sell for artists who feel their work has already been exploited.
—
ABC News, 25 Feb. 2026
Granted, Arsenal are the league leaders, and not every team will be as adept at picking apart Tottenham’s defence, but there were alarming signs in the opening minutes that a lack of structure was there to be exploited.
—Elias Burke, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2026
Epstein, a career criminal and con artist, saw weakness in the rich and powerful and exploited it, and his emails are an incredible map of elites, and of their wealth and power.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 23 Feb. 2026
For decades, it’s been considered a stark, darkly hilarious look at the way that the broadcast news industry could be merged with the Entertainment Industrial Complex, then eventually exploited by the powers that be.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 21 Feb. 2026
Prosecutors alleged the three defendants exploited their positions at leading technology firms that develop mobile computer processors to obtain hundreds of confidential files, including materials related to processor security and cryptography.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 20 Feb. 2026
Discord has not indicated that attackers exploited the exposure.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 20 Feb. 2026
The museum has multiple access points into its wings, and prosecutors allege guides exploited ticket validation to reuse the same tickets to bring in additional groups.
—Thomas Adamson, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026
The physical superiority of lions over humans has been demonstrated throughout human history—the Romans even exploited it for entertainment.
—Literary Hub, 18 Feb. 2026
ABC News, 25 Feb. 2026
Granted, Arsenal are the league leaders, and not every team will be as adept at picking apart Tottenham’s defence, but there were alarming signs in the opening minutes that a lack of structure was there to be exploited.
—Elias Burke, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2026
Epstein, a career criminal and con artist, saw weakness in the rich and powerful and exploited it, and his emails are an incredible map of elites, and of their wealth and power.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 23 Feb. 2026
For decades, it’s been considered a stark, darkly hilarious look at the way that the broadcast news industry could be merged with the Entertainment Industrial Complex, then eventually exploited by the powers that be.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 21 Feb. 2026
Prosecutors alleged the three defendants exploited their positions at leading technology firms that develop mobile computer processors to obtain hundreds of confidential files, including materials related to processor security and cryptography.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 20 Feb. 2026
Discord has not indicated that attackers exploited the exposure.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 20 Feb. 2026
The museum has multiple access points into its wings, and prosecutors allege guides exploited ticket validation to reuse the same tickets to bring in additional groups.
—Thomas Adamson, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026
The physical superiority of lions over humans has been demonstrated throughout human history—the Romans even exploited it for entertainment.
—Literary Hub, 18 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exploited
Verb
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The third site, in the 900 block of Reno Avenue in Modesto, was used by the drug trafficking organization to store and distribute illicit narcotics, which were being sold throughout Northern California, authorities said.—
Andrea Flores,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Geologists used temperature sensors in the geyser’s runoff channels to monitor these bursts, noting that the current pattern is similar to that observed during the geyser’s 2017 revival.—
Munis Raza,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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One of the images – which was flagged during a CNN check as being potentially AI-manipulated – showed the girl, believed to be named Kim Ju Ae and in her early teens, firing a sniper rifle.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
28 Feb. 2026
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The boarding crew noticed panels containing the vessel’s bilge pump were manipulated, raising suspicion it was being used for smuggling, the complaint states.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The human-rights violations, fears about the development of weapons of mass destruction, and even the connections between Iraq and Al Qaeda, which were obviously very overblown, were utilized extensively.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
28 Feb. 2026
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Several entries utilized artificial intelligence to perform their analyses, building new tools and techniques in the process.—
Amanda Erickson,
STAT,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The complaint alleges that the late singer abused the four siblings at international and national tour stops as well as at his Santa Barbara County estate, Neverland Ranch.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Mar. 2026
-
During the investigation, multiple other individuals reported that Joachim had abused them in the late 1990s and early 2000s.—
Michael Cuviello,
Dallas Morning News,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The fabric is applied to four new fits.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Will all the salt applied to roads and sidewalks this winter damage plants?—
Miri Talabac,
Baltimore Sun,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Consider your options carefully, then, as $100,000 in savings should be leveraged as strategically as possible, especially in today's economy.—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
3 Mar. 2026
-
But Bluefield State committed 21 turnovers to the Broncos’ seven, and the latter leveraged that margin into a 25-6 gap in points off of turnovers.—
Edward Lee,
Baltimore Sun,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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According to experts, Indian workers in the Gulf countries are mostly employed in oil services, construction, hospitality and retail sectors, industries particularly vulnerable to the disruption caused by Iranian attacks.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
5 Mar. 2026
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Jack Horner, a renowned paleontologist who worked as a consultant on all seven films in the Jurassic Park franchise, is no longer employed as a lecturer at Chapman University, following his name appearing several times in the Epstein files.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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On that album, #gigi, skai harnessed beat drops like wrecking balls crashing into the walls of their heart.—
Mano Sundaresan,
Pitchfork,
3 Mar. 2026
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That’s a lot of brain power, which will hopefully be harnessed for the good of humanity, rather than just to enrich pornographers or scam artists.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Exploited.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exploited. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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