spoliatory
Definition
- Adjective:
- Characterized by spoliation: "spoliatory" describes actions or processes involving the act of plundering, robbing, or seizing property, especially in a systematic or destructive manner.
Usage Examples
- (The attacks were marked by robbery and destruction.)
- (The policies involved the unlawful seizure of resources.)
- (The administration was characterized by systematic plunder.)
Advanced Usage
"Spoliatory legislation": laws that authorize the confiscation of private property without compensation.
- The new tax was seen as spoliatory legislation, stripping citizens of their assets. (The law was considered confiscatory.)
"Spoliatory war": a conflict waged primarily for the purpose of plundering.
- The campaign was a spoliatory war, aimed at enriching the conquerors. (The war was fought for loot.)
Variants and Related Words
Spoliation (n): the act of plundering or seizing property, especially in wartime.
- The museum's collection was damaged by spoliation during the conflict. (The act of looting.)
Spoliator (n): a person who engages in spoliation; a plunderer.
- The spoliator was arrested for stealing artifacts. (The robber or looter.)
Spoliate (v): to rob or plunder; to seize property by force.
- The army spoliated the countryside for supplies. (They looted the area.)
Synonyms
- Predatory: inclined to plunder or prey on others.
- Rapacious: aggressively greedy; seizing everything by force.
- Depredatory: relating to acts of plundering or ravaging.
Antonyms
- Restorative: serving to return something to its original state.
- Protective: intended to guard against harm or loss.
Related Idioms
"To lay waste": to destroy or devastate, often through plunder.
- The army laid waste to the region in a spoliatory campaign. (They ravaged the area.)
"To strip bare": to remove everything, especially through theft.
- The invaders stripped the temple bare in a spoliatory frenzy. (They looted it completely.)