despoliation

[ dih-spoh-lee-ey-shuhn ]

noun

1. the act of plundering.
2. the fact or circumstance of being plundered.

despoliation

/ dɪˌspəʊlɪˈeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of despoiling; plunder or pillage
2. the state of being despoiled

Word History and Origins

Origin of despoliation¹

1650–60; < Late Latin dēspoliātiōn- (stem of dēspoliātiō ), equivalent to Latin dēspoliāt ( us ) (past participle of dēspoliāre; despoil ) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

If the final AR image of plastic bags, echoed by one onstage, gestures toward a critique of environmental despoliation, it’s a wan gesture.

From New York Times

Matt: Environmental despoliation appears multiple times in “Andor.”

From Los Angeles Times

Daemon returned as a conqueror with a new haircut, seeming redeemed until he took Rhaenyra on her despoliation tour of the dirty old town.

From New York Times

Sonn asserts that she helped the Getty offspring reposition their investment portfolios to stress “socially responsible” ventures, in part to help them make “reparations ... for the fact that the origin of their tremendous wealth was inextricably intertwined” with climate change and the despoliation of the Amazon Basin.

From Los Angeles Times

They drove industry, which drove the despoliation of the planet.

From Washington Post