DISPOSSESSED Synonyms: 78 Similar and Opposite Words

dispossessed 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of dispossessed

as in deprived

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dispossessed

2 of 2

verb

past tense of dispossess

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

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Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of dispossessed

Adjective

Without the voices of the dispossessed, how can there be deconstruction? — Audrey Clare Farley, The New Republic, 3 Jan. 2022 Conover keeps his readers waiting for too long, almost half the book, before saying anything about how the San Luis Valley came to be a magnet for the dispossessed. — Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2022 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

Verb

He was tackled and dispossessed with the ball on a trajectory to the goal. — Monica Alba, NBC news, 24 June 2026 The family owners of Fischer Bücherei were Jews of Hungarian origin, who had been dispossessed of their publishing house by the Nazis before it was returned to them after the war. — Literary Hub, 13 May 2026 Kelsy dispossessed San Diego in its defensive third, cut back to evade a defender at the edge of the penalty area, and skipped a shot inside the near post to give the Timbers (3-5-1) a 1-0 lead in the 26th minute. — ABC News, 26 Apr. 2026 Calling his father and uncle gusanos — or worms, a Spanish-language term coined by Castro to denigrate those fleeing the island — the agent seized the bank and in an instant dispossessed a family that arrived from Spain in the 16th century. — Joshua Goodman, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026 Calling his father and uncle gusanos — or worms, a Spanish-language term coined by Castro to denigrate those fleeing the island — the agent seized the bank and, in an instant, dispossessed a family that arrived from Spain in the 16th century. — CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026 As Morocco’s indigenous inhabitants, El Hammoumy continued, the Berbers are like other native peoples around the world who have been systematically dispossessed of their lands and heritage for centuries. — Kevin West, Travel + Leisure, 10 Mar. 2026 On two occasions, a Spanish player remained on the floor after being strongly dispossessed, with Uruguay fashioning chances for Nunez, reintroduced to the starting line-up as Bielsa’s only change after the Cape Verde draw. — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 28 June 2026 The growth of colonial Australian society came at the expense of the Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islander peoples, who were often dispossessed of their land, exposed to foreign diseases, and either pushed into marginal areas or forcibly assimilated into European culture. — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dispossessed

Adjective

As of this spring, sixteen of its newest homes — two four-bedroom houses and eight one-bedroom units in phase one — are home to people who, until recently, were experiencing homelessness in one of the UK's most beautiful and most deprived counties.

— Afdhel Aziz, Forbes.com, 25 May 2026
The alliance jointly fought the 2024 general election and deprived Modi of an outright majority, forcing him to rely on the support of regional parties to form a coalition government.

— Shilpa Jamkhandikar, USA Today, 4 May 2026

Definition of deprived

Verb

Landlords in Durban and Johannesburg also evicted foreign tenants illegally to avoid further trouble, witnesses alleged.

— Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2026
In the early 1960s he was evicted from Knock John, another sea fort closer to Britain’s coast.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 June 2026

Definition of evicted

Adjective

In Danville, 81% of the roads accounting for most fatalities and serious injuries are located in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas.

— Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 3 July 2026
The kids who gained most were already ahead Governments are looking at AI to level the playing field for disadvantaged students.

— Dan Fitzpatrick, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026

Definition of disadvantaged

Adjective

This British drama series follows a woman named Emma over the course of more than six decades of her life, from the 1900s through the 1970s, working her way from impoverished maid to the world’s richest woman.

— Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
Known as a Neglected Tropical Disease because of the lack of funding to fight it, schistosomiasis is a serious challenge for impoverished communities.

— William McCarthy, NPR, 4 July 2026

Definition of impoverished

Adjective

Now, Emanuel is raising money for a New Hampshire nonprofit organization that provides bicycles to underprivileged children, in addition to raising his profile.

— Naomi Lim, The Washington Examiner, 13 June 2026
An Orange County judge had ordered the catchy radio and TV ads be taken down by Monday, June 8, for allegedly misleading donors that the money was spent on underprivileged children in California.

— Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 5 June 2026

Definition of underprivileged

Adjective

Foster died destitute in 1864, after falling and injuring himself in the bathroom of a hotel on the Bowery, becoming perhaps the first of many famous wastrels in American popular music.

— David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026
Early state laws offered limited divorce grounds, often leaving women destitute.

— Patricia Fersch, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026

Definition of destitute

Adjective

At school, there are prickly Principal Anderson (Matt Oberg) and Donna (Amy Pietz, nice to see her), his good-hearted secretary, a champion of needy teens and, it will be revealed, Liz’s mother.

— Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
Operated by New Hope CORPS, the former hotel provides housing and social services to needy seniors.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 1 July 2026

Definition of needy

Adjective

Powell, who was indigent and could not afford an attorney, wrote his own motions to the court six times in the ensuing years, trying multiple routes to overturn his conviction or at least reduce his prison time.

— Andy Rose, CNN Money, 26 June 2026
California’s Welfare and Institutions Code (Section 17000) requires the counties to provide indigent medical care/meet the healthcare needs of the county.

— Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 June 2026

Definition of indigent

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“Dispossessed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dispossessed. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of dispossessed

adjective

verb

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