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; 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.
If the final AR image of plastic bags, echoed by one onstage, gestures toward a critique of environmental despoliation, it’s a wan gesture.
From New York Times
They drove industry, which drove the despoliation of the planet.
From Washington Post
But the application of modern science and engineering to economic affairs also set in motion a ruinous despoliation of the planet.
From Salon
He said the court’s decision represented “a second despoliation of the painting.”
From New York Times
Trump also may have a motive for his environmental policies — enriching timber companies and the oil and gas industry, despoliation of the environment being merely collateral damage.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
