UNPRIVILEGED Synonyms: 51 Similar and Opposite Words

unprivileged

adjective

Definition of unprivileged

as in needy

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of unprivileged The researchers demonstrate how an unprivileged remote attacker can then recover secrets stored in Gmail, Amazon, and Reddit when the target is authenticated. — Ars Technica, 28 Jan. 2025 Judge David Carter of the District Court for the Central District of California ordered Eastman to begin reviewing at least 1,500 pages per business day starting on Friday, and immediately transfer any unprivileged documents to the committee. — Grace Segers, The New Republic, 28 Jan. 2022 Who is really the fraud, the empty-headed playboy who gets by on connections and unearned income, or the unprivileged striver? — Megan O’Grady, New York Times, 12 Nov. 2020

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unprivileged

Adjective

The duo, fundraising co-chairs on the Class of 2029 Council, distributed 100 quarts of soup to needy classmates last week, gifted to them by local restaurant Souper Jenny.

— Jason Armesto, AJC.com, 25 Sep. 2026
By directly volunteering at a local soup kitchen three hours a week, a person might only be able to help a few dozen needy people at a time.

— Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of needy

Adjective

Lofgren commended Wahab for championing foster youth and others who are underprivileged and vulnerable.

— Kyle Martin, Mercury News, 2 Sep. 2026
While in the city, Diana met AIDS patients at a hospital in Harlem, went to the famous toy store FAO Schwarz, visited with underprivileged children, and attended a gala dinner.

— Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 21 July 2026

Definition of underprivileged

Adjective

Three gunmen barged into a small house in an impoverished neighborhood in South Africa and opened fire on a group enjoying a party inside, killing at least 11 people including a pregnant woman, police and local authorities said Wednesday.

— ABC News, ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026
In 1693, Antoine Theroux, an impoverished 18-year-old boatman, was recruited to defend New France, as Canada was then known, against the Indigenous tribes and the British for King Louis XIV.

— Heller McAlpin, Christian Science Monitor, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of impoverished

Adjective

His hopes for The Situation is to better the experience of other disadvantaged creatives climbing the ranks today.

— Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 26 Sep. 2026
Raised in the school of hard knocks, Anderson was a passionate advocate for disadvantaged young Australians, his work recognized with Anderson made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1993 for services to the community.

— Lars Brandle, Billboard, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of disadvantaged

Adjective

Traumatized into silence, the de facto orphan stays living with the kindly but guilt-ridden, grieving and impecunious Hiroshi.

— Jessica Kiang, Variety, 12 June 2026
Since then, it has been performed across much of the world, being ideally suited to these impecunious times and very masterfully written.

— Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2026

Definition of impecunious

Adjective

In the summer of 1927 three young men of means ran into a neighbor from back home in Winnetka, Illinois, on the streets of Paris, who was stranded with a penniless delegation of labor leaders and educators intended for Moscow.

— Dan Chiasson, The New York Review of Books, 1 Aug. 2026
Irene has blackmailed the Bohemian royal family, Carrie is a thief who has stolen rare stamps from a penniless woman unaware of their value, and Fanny disguises as a man to gain access to a bank vault.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 July 2026

Definition of penniless

Adjective

The game, set to be released in January 2027, is set in early 20th century Japan, following a foreigner who claws his way from destitute stranger to feared yakuza to entertainment tycoon.

— Todd Spangler, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026
The film, a true story, follows Lilly, a destitute Alabama tire factory worker who sues her employer for paying her half the wages her male counterparts received for more than 12 years.

— Richard Johnson, New York Daily News, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of destitute

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unprintable

unprivileged

unproblematic

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“Unprivileged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unprivileged. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of unprivileged

adjective

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