Meaning & use
downtrodden
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Meaning
adjectivecomparable
Treated unfairly for a long time by those with power, so that people have little freedom, status, or hope.
Grammar: Used before a noun (the downtrodden workers) or as a noun phrase with 'the' (the downtrodden).
Patterns
- the downtrodden
- downtrodden people
The novel follows a downtrodden servant who dreams of a better life.
The union fought for the rights of downtrodden mill workers.
Years of harsh rule left the villagers poor and downtrodden.
Common combinations
- downtrodden masses
- The leader promised to speak for the downtrodden masses.
- champion of the downtrodden
- The writer was a champion of the downtrodden.
- downtrodden workers
- The factory owner exploited his downtrodden workers.
- feel downtrodden
- After years of being ignored, he felt downtrodden.
- downtrodden and poor
- The community was downtrodden and poor.
Synonyms and how they differ
- oppressed
- Oppressed names a harsh, unjust treatment itself, while downtrodden also emphasizes the worn-down state it causes.
- exploited
- Exploited stresses being used for someone else's gain, especially in work.
- subjugated
- Subjugated suggests being conquered and brought under control, a stronger and more formal word.
- browbeaten
- Browbeaten means bullied into obedience, often by one person rather than a whole system.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: downtrodden or downcast?
downtrodden vs downcast
Downcast means sad or looking down, usually for a short time, and does not imply mistreatment by authority.
Practice
The reformer spent his life defending the ____, the poor families nobody else would speak for.
Choose one answer.
The downtrodden are people long mistreated by the powerful, matching 'poor families nobody would speak for'. 'Well-off' describes the opposite group.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “downtrodden”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.