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 power
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Synonyms:
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unfortunate
not favored by fortune; marked or accompanied by or resulting in ill fortune
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unfortunate
Vocabulary lists containing downtrodden
This biography chronicles the life of Sojourner Truth, a woman who was born a slave, and who became the embodiment of the universal ideals of abolition and equality.
Nathan, an eleven-year-old Navajo boy, sets out on a journey to find a cure for a sick water monster that he discovers in a desert.
When Junie interviews her grandparents about their experiences during the Korean War, she is inspired to take a stand against racism at her middle school.
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