violated

American  

[vahy-uh-ley-tid] / ˈvaɪ əˌleɪ tɪd /

adjective

1. (of a law, principle, promise, agreement, instruction, etc.) acted against; not kept or honored; broken or transgressed.

   The often violated rule of thumb is that families should not spend more than 30 percent of their budget on housing.

   After this betrayal by local authorities, it will take some effort to restore the violated trust of the community.

2. (of something precious, sacred, beautiful, etc.) treated with disrespect or contempt; marred or desecrated.

   British art of the World War I era is full of images of a torn and violated landscape.

   The discovery of the violated tombs has caused pain and distress among the people of the area.

3. sexually molested, especially raped.

   History shows repeatedly the difficulty for a violated woman to be heard and believed.

4. rudely disturbed; thoughtlessly interfered with.

   They complain about their violated privacy, but then post way more online than anyone wants to know about them.

5. (of a border, home, property, restricted space, etc.) broken through or into by force or without right.

   Law enforcement was able to get to the violated border point before the smuggler escaped.

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verb

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

Other Word Forms

• quasi-violated
  adjective
• unviolated
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of violated

First recorded in 1535–45; violate ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; violate ( def. ) + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb sense

Example Sentences

On May 11, the nonpartisan watchdog organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics filed a complaint with the Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General, alleging the venture violated federal gift and travel rules.

From Salon • May 18, 2026

Even as a contractor, he violated IRS privacy policy.

From Slate • May 15, 2026

Estelle’s attorney, Matthew Hoppock, said she had no prior criminal history and hadn’t otherwise violated the terms of her green card.

From Salon • May 14, 2026

Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine’s foreign minister, said that Russia had already violated the terms of Ukraine’s proposed pause in the fighting, with strikes continuing after midnight into Wednesday morning.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026

This suggestion seemed to prevent the second law of thermodynamics from being violated in most situations.

From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking