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:
On the other hand, does saving for tomorrow feel like deprivation today?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
“I am suffering from severe sleep deprivation as a result of being woken up repeatedly throughout the night, every night by this hot air,” he wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
Like many constituencies in Scotland, there are pockets of affluence and deprivation, often sitting side by side.
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026
Significantly a person's own wishes and preferences will be taken into consideration, however, unless they indicate an objection, it's unlikely that their living arrangements will be considered a deprivation of liberty.
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026
For that is what will happen in the years of deprivation and torment ahead of them.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
Here, try it out with me: The prohibition on deprivations of “liberty” without “due process of law”? In the Constitution.
From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2026
Such support can come with deprivations as well as gratifications.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026
"When hazards overlap or strike repeatedly, they compound existing deprivations."
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2025
As somebody who has spent years in prison, he said he can weather the deprivations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2025
By the time Cullen arrived in Amagansett, Americans had begun to feel the deprivations of war.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
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.
