Synonyms of privation

privation

noun

prī-ˈvā-shən 

as in deprivation

the state of being robbed of something normally enjoyed

the constant privation of sleep was starting to affect my work

Synonyms & Similar Words

• deprivation
• lack
• loss
• denial
• absence
• need
• shortage
• sacrifice
• poverty
• deficiency
• forfeiture
• dearth
• scarcity
• penalty
• insufficiency
• want
• dispossession
• bereavement
• inadequacy
• forfeit
• paucity

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• control
• ownership
• possession
• gain
• accumulation
• acquiring

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of privation

These are people who still carry within them memories of war, occupation, and stretches of extreme privation. — Thomas Chatterton Williams, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026

The novel emphasizes that these conditions of privation and dispossession are themselves a vicious inheritance, that bloodshed and conquest have long characterized the story of this land. — Rachel Vorona Cote, Vulture, 2 June 2026

Meanwhile, the European settlers, underprepared for actual conditions in the region, suffered great privations, and only 1,500 remained by 1832. — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Mar. 2026

Even the smallest diversions seem to make a difference, a testament to the monkeys’ loneliness and privation. — Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025