immiseration

noun

im·​mis·​er·​a·​tion (ˌ)i(m)-ˌmi-zə-ˈrā-shən How to pronounce immiseration (audio)
: the act of making miserable
especially : impoverishment
… the immiseration of the working class. —C. R. Morris
immiserate
(ˌ)i(m)-ˈmi-zə-ˌrāt How to pronounce immiseration (audio)
transitive verb
immiserated; immiserating; immiserates
What Keynes would have found most disheartening, perhaps, is how economic theory has been used to immiserate the lives of the bottom half of the population. —Charles R. Morris

Examples of immiseration in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
But then there’s a whole mess of affordability and displacement and financial immiseration that can really only be solved by tackling the problem of housing. — The Politics Of Everything, The New Republic, 12 Apr. 2023 The novel depicts a brash golden boy anointed in his youth by elders of a community primed by centuries of suffering and immiseration to place their hopes in a revolutionary new system. — Sam Sacks, WSJ, 28 Jan. 2022 Robeson’s pursuit of racial equality, for everybody, won him persecution and immiseration and derailed his career. — Wesley Morris, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2023 Such proximity to immiseration likely contributes to the sense of desperation on display at these gatherings. — Adam Fleming Petty, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2023 See All Example Sentences for immiseration

Word History

Etymology

in- entry 2 + miserable + -ation

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of immiseration was in 1942

Rhymes for immiseration

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Browse Nearby Words

immiscible
immiseration
immiserization
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Immiseration.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/immiseration. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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