the downtrodden
noun
: people who are without hope because of being treated badly by powerful people, governments, etc.
He showed compassion for the downtrodden.
Examples of the downtrodden in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But the ascent of Mr. Boko, a charismatic orator with a flair for promising to defend the downtrodden, reveals the cracks in Botswana’s miracle rags-to-riches story.
—
Keletso Thobega, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Jan. 2025
Historians of Haiti typically ascribe such massacres to uprisings of the downtrodden poor against exploitative elites.
—Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
And Christmas is a time that Americans of all faiths, or none, may devote to sharing the deeper truths about the good things in life and the brotherhood of man: family and friends around the warmth of the dinner table, giving above getting, kindness toward strangers, help for the downtrodden.
—The Editors, National Review, 25 Dec. 2024
The Irish punk-poets unleashed an emotional track that’s become a battle cry for the downtrodden and forgotten, and which could only be written by these working-class Dublin natives.
—Charles Moss, SPIN, 17 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for the downtrodden 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Keletso Thobega, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Jan. 2025
Historians of Haiti typically ascribe such massacres to uprisings of the downtrodden poor against exploitative elites.
—Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
And Christmas is a time that Americans of all faiths, or none, may devote to sharing the deeper truths about the good things in life and the brotherhood of man: family and friends around the warmth of the dinner table, giving above getting, kindness toward strangers, help for the downtrodden.
—The Editors, National Review, 25 Dec. 2024
The Irish punk-poets unleashed an emotional track that’s become a battle cry for the downtrodden and forgotten, and which could only be written by these working-class Dublin natives.
—Charles Moss, SPIN, 17 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for the downtrodden
Dictionary Entries Near the downtrodden
Cite this Entry
“The downtrodden.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20downtrodden. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share