exploiting

[ik-sploi-ting]

noun

1. the act of utilizing something, especially for profit.

   More resources should be allocated to the exploiting of the local market by attracting more business to the region.

2. the act of using a person or thing selfishly for one’s own ends.

   When I saw the commercial, I was appalled at the exploiting of children's sorrow for corporate gain.

adjective

1. using a person or thing selfishly or for profit.

   In late czarist Russia, activists began to galvanize workers and peasants against the exploiting landowners, industrialists, and state.

Other Word Forms

• self-exploiting adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of exploiting¹

First recorded in 1830–40; exploit ² ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun senses; exploit ² ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective sense

Example Sentences

He was exploiting an arcane loophole on a much larger mission to become the next chess world champion.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

California is not exploiting a “loophole,” said Adriana Ramos-Yamamoto, a senior policy analyst at the California Budget & Policy Center, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that studies inequality.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"Recent decisions have been marked by poor communication, unjustifiable price increases, and a disregard for supporters. The message is clear - stop exploiting our loyalty."

Read more on BBC

Five men have been jailed after exploiting people through romance fraud and stealing more than £2m in a money laundering operation.

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While self-initiated terrorism remained the Met's primary concern, Cdr Murphy said foreign states such as Russia and Iran were increasingly exploiting young people to evade stronger security measures.

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Related Words

• crooked 
• fraudulent 
• nefarious 
• rotten 
• shady 
• unethical 
• unscrupulous 
• untrustworthy 
• venal