SKIP TO CONTENT

dispossessed

/ˌdɪspəˈzɛst/
IPA guide

Someone who's dispossessed has had something important, like their home or their sense of safety and security, taken away from them.

Most people who are described as dispossessed have lost their possessions, the things that belonged to them. This usually includes essential things including a place to live, a homeland, or basic rights. The word possess, or "own," is at the heart of this adjective, from a Latin root meaning "to have and hold," or "to control." Taking away someone's property, or their ability to control their own life, leaves them dispossessed.

Definitions of dispossessed
  1. adjective
    physically or spiritually homeless or deprived of security
    synonyms: homeless, roofless
    unfortunate
    not favored by fortune; marked or accompanied by or resulting in ill fortune
Cite this entry
Style:
MLA
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago

Copy citation
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘dispossessed'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
Word Family