Meaning & use
usurpation
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountableformal
The act of taking power, a throne or a position by force or without the right to it.
Grammar: Uncountable in general (usurpation is illegal) and countable for a specific act: an usurpation of power.
Patterns
- usurpation of something
- usurpation by someone
The general's usurpation of the throne led to years of civil war.
Historians described the king's decree as an usurpation of Parliament's authority.
The company accused its rival of usurpation of its brand.
noununcountableformallaw
The wrongful use of rights or responsibilities that properly belong to another person or body.
Grammar: Often found with of: usurpation of authority.
Patterns
- usurpation of authority
The court called the minister's action an usurpation of judicial power.
Critics saw the policy as a usurpation of local rights.
Her sudden decisions felt like an usurpation of the committee's role.
Word forms
| plural | usurpations |
|---|
Common combinations
- usurpation of power
- The coup was widely condemned as a usurpation of power.
- usurpation of authority
- The manager's decision was seen as a usurpation of authority.
- usurpation of the throne
- The prince's usurpation of the throne divided the court.
- illegal usurpation
- The treaty described the invasion as an illegal usurpation of territory.
Synonyms and how they differ
- seizure
- Seizure is a more general word for taking something by force, while usurpation stresses that the person has no right to it.
- takeover
- Takeover is neutral and can be legal, whereas usurpation always suggests a wrongful claim.
- coup
- A coup is a sudden overthrow of a government, which is a specific kind of usurpation.
- encroachment
- Encroachment suggests a gradual stepping onto someone else's rights, while usurpation is more complete.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: usurpation or usury?
usurpation vs usury
Usury means lending money at an unfairly high rate of interest. It sounds like usurpation but is a different concept.
Practice
Which event is the clearest example of usurpation?
Choose one answer.
Usurpation means taking power without the right to it. The other options are lawful or voluntary.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “usurpation”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.