as in oppressed
suffering grave abuse or injustice at the hands of one in authority
a war that was supposed to liberate the downtrodden citizens of that nation
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Recent Examples of downtrodden
At long last, downtrodden DePaul was finally about to produce an indelible moment at the Big East Tournament.
—
Mike Fitzpatrick, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2025
Following a downtrodden young woman, her wicked stepmother and spoiled stepsisters, and the Prince Charming who changes her life, Cinderella has seen many cinematic adaptations over the years.
—EW.com, 4 Mar. 2025
This darkly humorous tragedy, written by the Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Sam Shepard in the 1970s, tells the story of the Tates, a downtrodden family of four living on a farm in California where everything is in a state of massive disrepair.
—Alex Jhamb Burns, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2025
In a matter of weeks, Poles has gone from being the GM of a downtrodden team that lost its way through headline-worthy blunders on the field and fired its head coach to being the GM of a re-energized organization that just hired one of the most coveted candidates in recent coaching cycles.
—Adam Jahns, The Athletic, 25 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downtrodden
Mike Fitzpatrick, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2025
Following a downtrodden young woman, her wicked stepmother and spoiled stepsisters, and the Prince Charming who changes her life, Cinderella has seen many cinematic adaptations over the years.
—EW.com, 4 Mar. 2025
This darkly humorous tragedy, written by the Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Sam Shepard in the 1970s, tells the story of the Tates, a downtrodden family of four living on a farm in California where everything is in a state of massive disrepair.
—Alex Jhamb Burns, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2025
In a matter of weeks, Poles has gone from being the GM of a downtrodden team that lost its way through headline-worthy blunders on the field and fired its head coach to being the GM of a re-energized organization that just hired one of the most coveted candidates in recent coaching cycles.
—Adam Jahns, The Athletic, 25 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downtrodden
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downtrodden
Adjective
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Huey Newton, co-founder of the Black Panther Party, likewise viewed Exodus as a revolutionary call for oppressed people to rise against injustice.—
Ed Gaskin,
Boston Herald,
12 Apr. 2025
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That ecstatic communal experience is a glorious moment of freedom for oppressed people, most of them living hand-to-mouth in an environment of hatred and exploitation.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Downtrodden.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downtrodden. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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