unprivileged
A young volunteer helps an unprivileged child with homework at a community center.
Definition
- Adjective:
- Lacking special rights or advantages: "unprivileged" describes a person or group that does not possess privileges, such as those granted by social status, wealth, or legal entitlement.
- Synonymous with underprivileged: It often refers to individuals or communities that are disadvantaged, lacking access to resources or opportunities.
Usage Examples
- (Children without social or economic advantages.)
- (Employees without special rights or permissions.)
- (A household lacking wealth or social standing.)
Advanced Usage
"unprivileged access": In computing, this refers to user accounts or permissions that do not have administrative or elevated rights.
- The system restricts unprivileged users from installing software. (Users without administrative privileges.)
"unprivileged class": A social or economic group that is systematically denied advantages.
- The unprivileged class often struggles to afford basic healthcare. (A disadvantaged social group.)
Variants and Related Words
- Unprivileged (adj): The direct form; no common compound words exist beyond this.
- Underprivileged (adj): A close synonym, emphasizing lack of social or economic advantages.
- The charity focuses on underprivileged communities. (Communities lacking resources.)
Synonyms
- Disadvantaged: lacking the benefits or opportunities that others have.
- Deprived: lacking the necessities of life or basic rights.
- Underprivileged: (as above) lacking social or economic advantages.
Related Idioms
- However, it is often used in contrast with "privileged" in idioms like "the haves and the have-nots", which refers to the division between privileged and unprivileged people.
- The gap between the haves and the have-nots is widening. (The rich and the poor, or privileged and unprivileged.)