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downtrodden

[doun-trod-n]
adjective
  1. tyrannized over; oppressed: the downtrodden plebeians of ancient Rome.
  2. trampled upon.
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Also down·trod.

Origin of downtrodden

First recorded in 1560–70; down1 + trodden
Related formsdown·trod·den·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for downtrod

Historical Examples

  • Well, Curly, how are you enjoying yourself now in this hard and downtrod position that life has gave to you?

    The Man Next Door

    Emerson Hough

  • And she rippled on about the freedom of her soul and her downtrod sisters and this here New Dawn.

    Somewhere in Red Gap

    Harry Leon Wilson

British Dictionary definitions for downtrod

downtrodden

downtrod

adjective
  1. subjugated; oppressed
  2. trodden down; trampled
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for downtrod

downtrodden

adj.

1560s, "stepped on," from down (adv.) + trodden. Figurative use, "oppressed," is from 1590s.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper