exploitation

[ ek-sploi-tey-shuhn ]

noun

1. use or utilization, especially for profit:

   the exploitation of newly discovered oil fields.

2. selfish utilization:

   He got ahead through the exploitation of his friends.

3. the combined, often varied, use of public-relations and advertising techniques to promote a person, movie, product, etc.

Other Words From

• ex·ploi·ta·tion·al adjective
• ex·ploi·ta·tion·al·ly adverb
• non·ex·ploi·ta·tion noun
• o·ver·ex·ploi·ta·tion noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of exploitation¹

From French, dating back to 1795–1805; exploit ², -ation

Example Sentences

Supt Doug Downing said exploitation can take many forms, with the crimes being committed by those under duress extending from "drug dealing right the way through to high-value thefts and violence".

From BBC

Those who suspect exploitation is taking place should contact the police.

From BBC

He became a barber and then joined the charity Escapeline as a youth mentor working with children and teenagers at risk of exploitation.

From BBC

Referencing the “+57” lyric, “Turned off her phone so she wouldn’t get caught / Baby is bad, but she’s smart,” the agency’s general director Astrid Cáceres Cárdenas alleged the song alludes to the country’s network of human trafficking, in which young girls are invited to parties where they are vulnerable to sexual exploitation.

From Los Angeles Times

High-profile feminists such as Gloria Steinem and Julie Bindel argue that surrogacy commodifies a woman's body, leaving surrogates, who are often from poorer backgrounds, open to exploitation.

From BBC