Showing results for "exploited"

• past tense form of exploit.
• past participle of exploit.

exploited

American  

[ik-sploi-tid] / ɪkˈsplɔɪ tɪd /

adjective

1. utilized or made practical use of, especially for profit.

   Edible insects are a widely exploited food source among many of the world’s Indigenous populations.

2. used selfishly by someone for their own ends.

   Every one of these exploited workers shared stories of their inhumane working conditions and their determination to fight back.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of exploit.

Other Word Forms

• half-exploited
  adjective
• self-exploited
  adjective
• unexploited
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of exploited

exploit ² ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

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Explanation

Something that's exploited is fully taken advantage of. Fear is probably the most commonly exploited emotion used by directors of horror films. Exploited talents are ones that have been put to good use. And resources that are exploited are being used advantageously. However, this word is quite often used in a more negative way, to mean "used in a victimizing way." In some countries, exploited children are forced to work long hours in bad conditions. When animals are used to test shampoo, most people agree these critters are also exploited.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

exploited

Young went over in the corner to give England false hope, but in front of their delirious fans Tonga scored their fourth try as Katoa's grubber kick exploited defensive gaps for Olakau'atu to touch down.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

What AI-driven malware does is accelerate the pace at which these vulnerabilities are exploited and the scale.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

The findings add to a growing body of research portraying Neanderthals as resourceful humans who understood and exploited the natural materials around them.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026

Muse engineers said the bot had exploited a permissions setting on his Mac computer he didn’t realize was applicable.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

We must come to see, too, how our economic insecurities and racial resentments have been exploited for political gain, and how this manipulation has caused suffering for people of all colors.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

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Related Words

• abused
• oppressed
• overburdened

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