downtrodden
Someone who's downtrodden is mistreated by some powerful person or group. An exploited, underpaid worker is downtrodden.
The adjective downtrodden is more often used to talk about groups of oppressed people, rather than one specific person. A history textbook might discuss the downtrodden masses rising up in a revolution against their rulers, for example. In the 1560s, downtrodden was first used to literally mean "stepped on," with the figurative meaning following soon after. Trodden, "that which is stepped on," comes from the verb tread.
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abused or oppressed by people in powersynonyms:unfortunatenot favored by fortune; marked or accompanied by or resulting in ill fortune
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Vocabulary lists containing downtrodden
After calling the police during an end-of-summer party, Melinda is an outcast at school. How can Melinda tell the truth about what really happened when she won't even speak?
When a passenger is murdered on a stalled train, detective Hercule Poirot must investigate which of the other passengers committed the crime.
In this classic autobiography, the accomplished poet and writer recounts her childhood and teenage years.