usurped

American  

[yoo-surpt, -zurpt] / yuˈsɜrpt, -ˈzɜrpt /

adjective

1. seized by force or without legal right.

   When Edward IV deposed Henry VI, some saw it as a providential restoration of the usurped throne to the lawful heirs of Richard II.

2. deprived of something forcibly or without legal right.

   The peasants and other members of the usurped communities have been forced to work as peons in the land that previously belonged to them.

3. used or employed without authority or right; used wrongfully.

   Exploitation of usurped or counterfeited web content is punishable by criminal law.

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verb

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

Other Word Forms

• unusurped adjective

Etymology

Origin of usurped

usurp ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

The later stages of the show highlight a few transitional designers whose work either shaped or anticipated the Midcentury Modernist movement that usurped Art Deco.

From The Wall Street Journal

In claiming power to give France a new constitution, Mr. Hardman notes, the assembly “had usurped the rights of the people as well as the king.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Political cartooning is a dying art, usurped by illustrations that trade intelligent ribbing for low-brow button pushing — or, equally as startling, memes that require minimal effort to make.

From Salon

While leading tennis pros still command huge attention, there is a perception that golfers have been usurped by female footballers and basketball luminaries such as the Indiana guard Caitlin Clark.

From BBC

The first of Shakespeare's history plays, Richard II sees the unlikeable and corrupt king be usurped by his cousin Henry Bolingbroke who goes on to become Henry IV.

From BBC

Related Words

• annex
• preempt
• supplant
• wrest