put-upon

[ poot-uh-pon, -pawn ]

adjective

1. imposed upon; ill-used.

put upon

verb

1. to presume on (a person's generosity, good nature, etc); take advantage of

   he's always being put upon

2. to impose hardship on; maltreat

Word History and Origins

Origin of put-upon¹

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

“Part of his appeal is that he’s the straight talker who will be the defender of these groups who feel put upon by the elites,” Rowland said.

From Los Angeles Times

So while we wanted to show what it was like to emerge as a leader in the movement, we also wanted to show you all of the sort of constraints that were put upon him because he was trying to make change.

From Salon

“We may forget or feel put upon by our responsibilities but we remain whole inside with memories of freedom to express without consequence. We don’t become other people as we age.”

From Salon

In his order at the start of the weekend, Reed wrote that the sum put upon Trump is “reasonable” given the case’s complexity, according to Politico, but Trump’s lawyers pushed against it, calling the amount “exorbitant.”

From Salon

“I was more of a political partner than a political wife, and I never felt put upon,” she said.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• afflict
• annoy
• beat down
• harass
• maltreat
• overwhelm
• persecute
• pick on
• prey on
• subjugate
• suppress
• torment
• torture
• trample
• vex