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:
What began as a personal habit has grown into a web community where people share what they read each week—reinforcing that Shabbos isn’t about deprivation but enrichment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
High-rise buildings like those in Ancoats, which suffered huge deprivation after the war, are clear evidence of Manchester's redevelopment but Swinney says its economic "growth miracle" has been overestimated by official statistics.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 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
The idea has driven adherents to extreme sleep deprivation and techno-rituals meant to placate an unborn AI.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
When she returned to the hospital the next day, she put on a swimsuit and entered the sensory deprivation chamber.
From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson
Such support can come with deprivations as well as gratifications.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026
There is a romantic quality even to the deprivations Smith chronicles, an effect heightened by what she chooses to highlight or withhold.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2025
"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
It must be some well-known phenomenon that if you stare into a fire when you’re already half out of your mind due to a variety of deprivations you will immediately find yourself hypnotized.
From "How I Live Now" by Meg Rosoff
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.
