underprivileged
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of underprivileged
First recorded in 1920–25; under- + privileged
Explanation
Someone underprivileged doesn't have the advantages other people have. Underprivileged people usually live in poverty. A privilege is a right or an advantage, and people who are underprivileged lack such rights and advantages. Many times, this word is used as a synonym for poor. People often worry about underprivileged children who are living in poverty and may not have access to healthy food or good medical care. Underprivileged children often go to the worst schools too, which is another disadvantage.
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.
The casualties include Bijay Ghimere, the first mountaineer from Nepal's underprivileged Hindu Dalit community to scale Everest.
From BBC • May 22, 2026
The casualties include Bijay Ghimere, the first mountaineer from Nepal's underprivileged Hindu Dalit community to scale Mount Everest.
From BBC • May 13, 2026
He is the director of Camp Harmony, a nonprofit, volunteer-run sleepaway camp that provides free, weeklong summer experiences for underprivileged children ages 7 to 12, hosting about 400 per season.
From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026
“I retained my interest in math education because this was the path from, let’s say, an underprivileged background to a very lucrative career,” Gerko told the Journal in 2023.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026
My mother’s company offered bursaries, scholarships, for underprivileged families, and she managed to get me into Maryvale College, an expensive private Catholic school.
From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah
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.
