despoliation
Americannoun
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the act of plundering.
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the fact or circumstance of being plundered.
noun
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the act of despoiling; plunder or pillage
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the state of being despoiled
Etymology
Origin of despoliation
1650–60; < Late Latin dēspoliātiōn- (stem of dēspoliātiō ), equivalent to Latin dēspoliāt ( us ) (past participle of dēspoliāre; see despoil) + -iōn- -ion
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.
If the final AR image of plastic bags, echoed by one onstage, gestures toward a critique of environmental despoliation, it’s a wan gesture.
From New York Times ● Jul. 26, 2023
Matt: Environmental despoliation appears multiple times in “Andor.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 30, 2022
They drove industry, which drove the despoliation of the planet.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 26, 2021
But the application of modern science and engineering to economic affairs also set in motion a ruinous despoliation of the planet.
From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2021
Despite thy despoliation, Aquidnec, thou art still a fair spot.
From The Child Wife by Reid, Mayne
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.