exploitation

noun

ex·​ploi·​ta·​tion ˌek-ˌsplȯi-ˈtā-shən 

: an act or instance of exploiting

exploitation of natural resources

exploitation of immigrant laborers

clever exploitation of the system

Examples of exploitation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As a start, both parties could commit to basic red lines – bribery, abuse of office, exploitation – where resignation is expected, not optional. —Brandon Rottinghaus, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2026

Very few people want to buy a ticket for a lecture on overconsumption, corporate exploitation, and the dumbing down of public discourse. —Literary Hub, 7 Jan. 2026

Another person gets to rule who will open the (oil) floodgates to American oil companies’ exploitation of Venezuela’s reserves. —Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026

Trump has been rightfully called the Twitter president in the past, and a crucial part of that legacy is the skilled exploitation of this information environment. —Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, from exploiter "to exploit entry 2" + -ation -ation

First Known Use

1795, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for exploitation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation