despoliation
Americannoun
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the act of plundering.
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the fact or circumstance of being plundered.
noun
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the act of despoiling; plunder or pillage
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the state of being despoiled
Etymology
Origin of despoliation
1650–60; < Late Latin dēspoliātiōn- (stem of dēspoliātiō ), equivalent to Latin dēspoliāt ( us ) (past participle of dēspoliāre; see despoil) + -iōn- -ion
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.
Matt: Environmental despoliation appears multiple times in “Andor.”
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 30, 2022
Others, including conservationists and environmentalists, fear pollution and despoliation.
From The Guardian • Jul. 28, 2020
Garth’s masterful book ends with a reminder that a profound concern for the environment and its despoliation imbues Tolkien’s work.
From Washington Post • Jun. 8, 2020
Any further despoliation of the oceans would have to be stopped, including the dumping of wastes, plastics, engine fuel, and runoff pesticides.
From Salon • Apr. 6, 2020
Without this natural protection it became a land subject to constant attack and despoliation.
From Taras Bulba and Other Tales by Gogol, Nikolai Vasilievich
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.
