deprivation
dep-riv-AY-shun
/ˌdɛprɪˈveɪʃən/
The damaging lack of material, social, or emotional benefits considered to be basic necessities.
Connotes severe, hardship-inducing lack rather than mild preference or inconvenience.
The story behind the word. From Medieval Latin 'deprivatio', derived from Late Latin 'deprivare' (to strip completely of property or office). Over time it shifted from stripping individual privileges to describing systemic impoverishment.
Word relationships
- hardship: Hardship refers to severe suffering or difficulty, whereas deprivation focuses specifically on being stripped of essential needs.
- privation: Privation is a literary synonym emphasizing essential lack, though deprivation is much more common in social sciences.
- abundance: A very large quantity of something beneficial.
- affluence: The state of having a great deal of money or wealth.
Commonly confused with
- depravity: Depravity means moral corruption or wickedness; deprivation means lack of basic necessities.
Word family
- deprive (verb): To prevent someone from having or enjoying something.
- deprived (adjective): Lacking specified basic necessities.
Collocations
- severe deprivation
- sleep deprivation
- material deprivation
- economic deprivation
Example sentences
- "Prolonged economic deprivation during early childhood can lead to measurable developmental delays in language acquisition." Child development journal
Memory hook
DEPRIVAtion comes from DEPRIVE: being stripped of what you need. Stripped of essentials.
When not to use
Do not use for temporary, intentional fasting or minor self-denial.
Fun facts
- 'Sensory deprivation tanks' were invented in 1954 to test the effects of removing all auditory and visual stimuli on human brain waves.
Related words
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