- past participle of dispossess.
- past tense form of dispossess.
dispossessed
Americanadjective
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evicted, as from a dwelling, land, etc.; ousted.
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without property, status, etc., as wandering or displaced persons; rootless; disfranchised.
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having suffered the loss of expectations, prospects, relationships, etc.; disinherited; disaffiliated; alienated.
The modern city dweller may feel spiritually dispossessed.
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.
Vocabulary lists containing dispossessed
"Bonne Annee," Vocabulary from the personal essay
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It's Trevor Noah: Born a Crime
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Vocabulary from Readings, Unit 3
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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.
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
Sure enough, Gordon was dispossessed far too easily by Iliman Ndiaye in the build-up to Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall picking out Barry at the back post.
From BBC ● Feb. 28, 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
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
After all, they were needy and hungry and despised and dispossessed, and sinners the world over were in the driver’s seat.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
