disenfranchise

[ dis-en-fran-chahyz ]

verb (used with object)

, dis·en·fran·chised, dis·en·fran·chis·ing.

1. to deprive (a person) of a right or privilege of citizenship, especially the right to vote:

   This electoral law disenfranchises people in prison and on parole, but allows those on probation to vote.

2. to deprive of the rights or privileges of full participation in society or in any community or organization, especially of the opportunity to influence policy or make one’s voice heard:

   We are intentionally seeking to engage all employees in these discussions so as not to disenfranchise any social minority.

3. to deprive of a commercial or legal franchise:

   There’s been talk of disenfranchising the cricket team for violation of the league’s bylaws.

disenfranchise

/ ˌdɪsɪnˈfræntʃɪzmənt; ˌdɪsɪnˈfræntʃaɪz /

verb

1. to deprive (a person) of the right to vote or other rights of citizenship
2. to deprive (a place) of the right to send representatives to an elected body
3. to deprive (a business concern, etc) of some privilege or right
4. to deprive (a person, place, etc) of any franchise or right

Derived Forms

• disenfranchisement, noun

Other Words From

• dis·en·fran·chise·ment [dis-en-, fran, -chahyz-m, uh, nt, -chiz-], noun
• dis·en·fran·chis·er noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of disenfranchise¹

First recorded in 1620–30; dis- ¹ + enfranchise

Example Sentences

While there are outliers, we have unfortunately left major demographic groups behind, even disenfranchised them.

From Fortune

Working together today, we can begin to repair the damage of decades of disenfranchising minority groups.

From Fortune

I really think disenfranchising that entire population — we’re in real danger of that at this point.

From ProPublica

He said the weighted vote disenfranchises over 1 million residents represented by those board members.

From Voice of San Diego

The city of San Diego faces the dual crisis of severe budget cuts and a growing demand to increase spending on communities that have been historically disenfranchised.

From Voice of San Diego

Translation: Disenfranchise voters who traditionally are part of the Democratic coalition, namely minorities.

From The Daily Beast

The Advancement Project says these laws could potentially disenfranchise tens of thousands of minority voters.

From The Daily Beast

He implied that the opponents who are calling for him to drop out of the race are seeking to disenfranchise the voters.

From The Daily Beast

Partisan voter ID laws would disenfranchise a huge number of poor, young, elderly, and minority voters.

From The Daily Beast

But, my bet is she will disenfranchise many moderate Republicans (like me) and turn off independents.

From The Daily Beast

Not only this, but he proposed to the provincial assembly a measure to disenfranchise all persons who have concubines.

From Project Gutenberg

They effectively discount any and all other means of acquiring knowledge, and totally disenfranchise individuals who cannot read.

From Project Gutenberg

The whole thing is gone, and for my part I wish they'd disenfranchise the borough.

From Project Gutenberg

I wish they'd disenfranchise the whole country, and send us a military governor.

From Project Gutenberg