dispossessed

American  

[dis-puh-zest] / ˌdɪs pəˈzɛst /

adjective

1. evicted, as from a dwelling, land, etc.; ousted.

2. without property, status, etc., as wandering or displaced persons; rootless; disfranchised.

3. having suffered the loss of expectations, prospects, relationships, etc.; disinherited; disaffiliated; alienated.

   The modern city dweller may feel spiritually dispossessed.

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Etymology

Origin of dispossessed

First recorded in 1590–1600; dispossess + -ed ²

Explanation

Someone who's dispossessed has had something important, like their home or their sense of safety and security, taken away from them. Most people who are described as dispossessed have lost their possessions, the things that belonged to them. This usually includes essential things including a place to live, a homeland, or basic rights. The word possess, or "own," is at the heart of this adjective, from a Latin root meaning "to have and hold," or "to control." Taking away someone's property, or their ability to control their own life, leaves them dispossessed.

Example Sentences

Abdulmejid thus became, uniquely, the caliph of the Turkish Republic and the only caliph not to be sultan—until he, too, was dispossessed and exiled in 1924.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

With six minutes of regular time remaining, he dispossessed an opponent, surged forward and coolly fired the ball into the net.

From Barron's • Feb. 16, 2026

Swede Elanga dispossessed Fulham defender Ryan Sessegnon before feeding Osula out on the right.

From BBC • Oct. 25, 2025

He has spent a decade organizing among the poor and dispossessed, including with the Kairos Center and the Poor People’s Campaign.

From Salon • Jul. 21, 2025

They were exiles and sons of exiles, dispossessed and unforgiven... yet formidable fighters still.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

Related Words

• destitute
• disadvantaged
• needy
• underprivileged