privation

[ prahy-vey-shuhn ]

noun

1. lack of the usual comforts or necessaries of life:

   His life of privation began to affect his health.

   Synonyms: distress, need, want, deprivation

2. an instance of this.
3. the act of depriving.
4. the state of being deprived.

privation

/ praɪˈveɪʃən /

noun

1. loss or lack of the necessities of life, such as food and shelter
2. hardship resulting from this
3. the state of being deprived
4. obsolete.
   logic the absence from an object of what ordinarily or naturally belongs to such objects

Word History and Origins

Origin of privation¹

1350–1400; Middle English (from Middle French privacion ) from Latin prīvātiōn- (stem of prīvātiō ) “a taking away.” See private, -ion

Word History and Origins

Origin of privation¹

C14: from Latin prīvātiō deprivation

Synonym Study

See hardship.

Example Sentences

One senior nurse - in a message heard by the BBC - speaks in an exhausted voice of relentless privations allegedly imposed by the Israelis besieging Jabalia.

From BBC

Saunders and Gamble dig into the domestic privations of poverty — the lack of food and heat, the shame of wearing the same old clothes every day, the constant worry about what’s next.

From Los Angeles Times

International humanitarian officials said the military operation had halted the flow of aid from Egypt into Gaza, exacerbating extreme hunger and privation in the besieged territory.

From New York Times

Through their privations they remain pretty people, as a screen romance would require; the producers want you to love these lovers and stick around six hours to the end.

From Los Angeles Times

Mr. Mixner, born three days apart from Mr. Clinton and raised in similar rural privation, met the future president when they were in their early 20s.

From New York Times

Related Words

• hardship