dispossessed

American  

[dis-puh-zest] / ˌdɪs pəˈzɛst /

adjective

1. evicted, as from a dwelling, land, etc.; ousted.

2. without property, status, etc., as wandering or displaced persons; rootless; disfranchised.

3. having suffered the loss of expectations, prospects, relationships, etc.; disinherited; disaffiliated; alienated.

   The modern city dweller may feel spiritually dispossessed.

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Etymology

Origin of dispossessed

First recorded in 1590–1600; dispossess + -ed ²

Example Sentences

Abdulmejid thus became, uniquely, the caliph of the Turkish Republic and the only caliph not to be sultan—until he, too, was dispossessed and exiled in 1924.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

With six minutes of regular time remaining, he dispossessed an opponent, surged forward and coolly fired the ball into the net.

From Barron's • Feb. 16, 2026

Swede Elanga dispossessed Fulham defender Ryan Sessegnon before feeding Osula out on the right.

From BBC • Oct. 25, 2025

But he was unique among the Democrats in speaking directly to the disaffected and dispossessed middle class.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 2, 2025

The woman in the snow was the emissary of a dispossessed tribe.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

Related Words

• destitute
• disadvantaged
• needy
• underprivileged