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
They drove industry, which drove the despoliation of the planet.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 26, 2021
But the application of modern science and engineering to economic affairs also set in motion a ruinous despoliation of the planet.
From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2021
Bezos was at pains to stress the importance of preserving the natural integrity of Earth, and Cox has consistently called for action on the climate crisis and environmental despoliation.
From The Guardian ● May 26, 2019
There were no signs of violence visible nor even such disturbances as usually follow despoliation by a criminal's hand.
From The Filigree Ball Being a full and true account of the solution of the mystery concerning the Jeffrey-Moore affair by Anna Katharine Green
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.
