as in evicted
to end the occupancy or possession of
opponents of gentrification claim that the process unfairly dispossesses poorer residents of their long-established homes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in deprived
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
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 dispossessed
Peter Saenger, WSJ, 22 Apr. 2022
Without the voices of the dispossessed, how can there be deconstruction?
—Audrey Clare Farley, The New Republic, 3 Jan. 2022
And when Israel gained its independence in 1948, Zionism became the world’s first successful Indigenous movement of a dispossessed and colonized people regaining sovereignty in their Indigenous homeland.
—Micha Danzig, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Dec. 2021
Chilton’s sonorous voice carries with it the perseverance and anguish of the dispossessed, disenfranchised and violated.
—Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2021
See All Example Sentences for dispossessed
Verb
Three days after his 10th birthday, his father, a depressed junkman, killed himself, and the experience of misfortune fueled the young artist’s identification with the dispossessed.
—Peter Saenger, WSJ, 22 Apr. 2022
Without the voices of the dispossessed, how can there be deconstruction?
—Audrey Clare Farley, The New Republic, 3 Jan. 2022
And when Israel gained its independence in 1948, Zionism became the world’s first successful Indigenous movement of a dispossessed and colonized people regaining sovereignty in their Indigenous homeland.
—Micha Danzig, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Dec. 2021
Chilton’s sonorous voice carries with it the perseverance and anguish of the dispossessed, disenfranchised and violated.
—Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2021
See All Example Sentences for dispossessed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dispossessed
Verb
-
Prior to his career in government, Rasool, who as a child was evicted from a Cape Town neighborhood for white people, became an anti-Apartheid campaigner.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
14 Mar. 2025
-
Unable to make rent without his father, Rema and his family were evicted from their apartment.—
Mankaprr Conteh,
Rolling Stone,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Their comeback may help regenerate deprived economic regions like Italy's Abruzzo.—
Ruth Sherlock,
NPR,
9 July 2025
-
In the last election, some of the most deprived areas of the country — based on factors like income, housing and health — voted for the Conservative Party for the first time.—
Josh Holder,
New York Times,
24 June 2024
Adjective
-
While elite institutions highlight transformative outcomes for select low-income students, systemic challenges persist for economically disadvantaged learners across the nation.—
Scott White,
Forbes.com,
2 Aug. 2025
-
In the Austin district, 50.2% of students are categorized as economically disadvantaged — a lower rate than most urban districts in Texas — and 31.4% are emergent bilingual, according to TEA data.—
Keri Heath,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
Adjective
-
Miss Lonelyhearts—who is actually a man—is an advice columnist receiving letters from people who are impoverished, in despair, and surrounded by an atmosphere of moral depravity and incipient fascism.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
16 July 2025
-
Some of the city's most impoverished communities also wrestle with the highest rates of afflictions like heart disease, and research suggests more tree canopy and green spaces can reduce these risks, in addition to benefiting stress levels and general quality of life.—
Connor Giffin,
The Courier-Journal,
3 July 2025
Adjective
-
Gilbert will oversee Perfect Game’s Believe in Baseball Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization designed to provide resources and support to underprivileged children who want to participate in local travel baseball programs.—
Wayne G. McDonnell,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
-
In it, attention-seeking Dunder Mifflin manager Michael Scott (Carell) pledges to pay the college tuition for a group of underprivileged third-graders.—
Mekishana Pierre Published,
EW.com,
16 June 2025
Adjective
-
When Theodore Hook’s destitute daughter neared death in 1893, a friend doxxed her, sharing her address with the world in the hope that donations would trickle in and ease her final days.—
Daniel Seifert,
JSTOR Daily,
16 July 2025
-
The rising middle-class population change is expected to account for over 75% of expenditure growth, opening new market opportunities and lifting millions out of poverty, decreasing the percentage of destitute households from 15% today to just 6% by 2031.—
Sarwant Singh,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
Adjective
-
Yet people here are among the most medically needy in the country.—
Jacquelyn Martin,
Chicago Tribune,
21 July 2025
-
That means fewer ineligible people continuing on outdated paperwork, saving money for the truly needy.—
Lauren Arikan,
Baltimore Sun,
21 July 2025
Adjective
-
Private defense attorneys who represent indigent clients in federal court are not getting paid for nearly three months — until Oct. 1.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
24 July 2025
-
Throughout this month, indigent defendants — or those unable to afford their own attorneys — without representation have been released from jail if they had been detained for more than a week without representation, based on another prong of the protocol.—
Flint McColgan,
Boston Herald,
22 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dispossessed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dispossessed. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share