- past tense form of disenfranchise.
- past participle of disenfranchise.
disenfranchised
Americanadjective
-
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.
-
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.
-
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
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of disenfranchised
First recorded in 1810–20; disenfranchise ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. )
Explanation
The adjective disenfranchised describes a person or group of people who are stripped of their power, like disenfranchised post-Civil War African Americans who were deprived of their right to vote even after being freed from slavery. Being disenfranchised is no fun. The rules work against you, your rights are constantly violated, and you have little power to change your life for the better. The Old French word enfranchir means “to make free,” and when you add the negative prefix dis-, disenfranchised means “made unfree.” A disenfranchised population doesn’t rest easy, and often they organize and fight back against their condition to demand their basic rights and freedom.
Vocabulary lists containing disenfranchised
Born a Crime
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It's Trevor Noah: Born a Crime
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A New Understanding of ISIS After the Paris Attacks
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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.
Foundation to ‘bring hope and strength to young adults ages 14-24 in underserved and disenfranchised communities.’
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Director Sue Davison, a specialist teacher with 30 years' experience in schools, said the rise of toxic masculinity among social media influencers had a serious impact on "disenfranchised boys".
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
Certain voters, members of communities that have been disenfranchised before, may now be less confident that their vote will count.
From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2026
Congress’s aim was to prevent minorities from being disenfranchised.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026
She demanded that Greeley consider how he would feel if he were disenfranchised.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
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.
