disenfranchisement
Americannoun
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the act of depriving a person of the rights or privileges of a citizen, especially the right to vote.
Opponents claim that these changes to the voting registration laws will result in massive voter disenfranchisement, especially among minorities, seniors, and youth.
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the act of depriving a person of the rights or privileges of full participation in any community or organization, especially of the opportunity to influence policy or make one’s voice heard.
The disenfranchisement of women at the household level, with male control over household funds, has contributed to the devaluation of women's labor.
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the act of depriving a person of a legal or commercial franchise.
Persistent violations of the contract will result in the disenfranchisement of the franchisee.
Etymology
Origin of disenfranchisement
First recorded in 1715–25; disenfranchise ( def. ) + -ment ( def. )
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.
To prevent disenfranchisement, many states enacted laws that permitted soldiers to vote under the supervision of commanding officers, who would then transmit ballots to election officials back home.
From Slate ● Mar. 13, 2026
The court has said that the allegations of disenfranchisement "largely appears to be a case of trust deficit, nothing else" and that it would "step in immediately" if mass exclusion of voters is proven.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2025
“I think there’s a lot of negative polarization at play — an expression of defeatism or disenfranchisement at the fact that status quo politicians aren’t addressing young men’s problems.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2025
“I grew up with three women. I saw the disenfranchisement very clearly. And I saw the struggles, I saw the joy, I saw the love,” she said.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 29, 2024
While the Fifteenth Amendment did not mention sex, she said that because it specifically prohibited disenfranchisement by race, women were included, arguing that “a race comprises all the people, male and female.”
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.
