disenfranchised

Sometimes dis·fran·chised

[dis-en-fran-chahyzd]

adjective

1. deprived of any of the rights or privileges of citizens, especially the right to vote.

   Given the illegal requirements reportedly imposed at some polling places, we can expect a lot of lawsuits from disenfranchised citizens.

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

   A session on LGBTQ literature provided concrete examples and professional resources to support this often disenfranchised group.

3. deprived of a legal or commercial franchise.

   A disenfranchised Noodles Only franchisee has opened up about his struggles operating in the town’s “business graveyard.”

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of disenfranchise.

Other Word Forms

• nondisenfranchised adjective
• undisenfranchised adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of disenfranchised¹

First recorded in 1810–20; disenfranchise ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

“Women are the most disenfranchised people in this business,” he told The Times in 1987.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Some believe the territory's complex citizenship laws have inadvertently created a crucible of disenfranchised Haitian youngsters.

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The districts that would be eliminated are predominantly Black and brown, and these millions of voters would be effectively disenfranchised.

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The ECI says the drive targets duplicate and deceased voters, but critics say its haste has disenfranchised many, especially migrants and minorities.

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They were introduced in 2020 after a lawsuit alleged Latino voters were disenfranchised in the city.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• defenseless 
• helpless 
• impotent 
• incapable 
• ineffective 
• ineffectual 
• inert 
• paralyzed www.thesaurus.com
• passive 
• vulnerable 
• weak