noun
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an act or instance of depriving
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the state of being deprived
social deprivation
a cycle of deprivation and violence
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of deprivation
First recorded in 1525–35; from Medieval Latin dēprīvātiōn-, stem of dēprīvātiō, from dēprīvāt(us) “deprived” (past participle of dēprīvāre “to deprive”; see deprive) + -iō -ion
Explanation
A state of deprivation means something is missing, and the situation is serious. If you're suffering from sleep deprivation, you haven't slept in a long time. If you know the word deprive — meaning to keep something away from someone — then you’re close to knowing what deprivation means. It describes the state of not having something. Poor people experience a lot of deprivation: poverty keeps them from having enough food or shelter. Plants experiencing water deprivation will shrivel up and die. If you’re grounded your parents might impose video game deprivation, although this word is usually reserved for when you’re lacking something really serious.
Vocabulary lists containing deprivation
"The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant
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"Number the Stars" by Lois Lowry, Introduction and Afterword
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This Week in Words: May 28 - June 1, 2018
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
So now, players have access to infrared beds, sensory deprivation tanks and AI-led massage chairs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Budgeting and saving shouldn’t be about painful deprivation.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
"Fasting, or controlled deprivation of food, is linked to a longer and healthier lifespan," says Dr Longo, who has spent three decades studying the effects of fasting.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
Much of the previous research connecting poor sleep with obesity has focused on severe sleep deprivation, often limiting people to only four hours of sleep.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026
It’s people like Hoagland who call you up at odd hours of the night to tell you something you absolutely need to know, practicing on you the subtlest form of sleep deprivation.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
Its annual inflation rate is about 69%, the IMF said, while average Iranians face fuel shortages and other wartime deprivations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
"When hazards overlap or strike repeatedly, they compound existing deprivations."
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2025
The news organisations noted that: "Journalists endure many deprivations and hardships in warzones. We are deeply alarmed that the threat of starvation is now one of them."
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2025
And it promised that all persons would be protected against deprivations of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.
From Slate ● May 8, 2024
He saw them scold and hurt each other; he saw them lament over pains at which the Samana laughs, and suffer at deprivations which a Samana does not feel.
From "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
