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

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

Diaries kept by Eugenia Zieber describe the privations of the trail, chief among them the frequent deaths of fellow travelers. — Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025

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

In light of the extraordinary privations and mass killing of Gaza’s civilian population in the current war, Hamas’s external leader, Khaled Meshaal, has likened Gaza to Algeria, where independence was achieved only after the death of more than a million civilians. — Leila Seurat, Foreign Affairs, 26 Aug. 2025