immiseration

noun

im·​mis·​er·​a·​tion (ˌ)i(m)-ˌmi-zə-ˈrā-shən How to pronounce immiseration (audio)
: the act of making miserable
especially : impoverishment
the immiseration of the working class C. R. Morris
immiserate transitive verb
immiserated; immiserating; immiserates
What Keynes would have found most disheartening, perhaps, is how economic theory has been used to immiserate the lives of the bottom half of the population. Charles R. Morris

Examples of immiseration in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Robeson’s pursuit of racial equality, for everybody, won him persecution and immiseration and derailed his career. Wesley Morris, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2023 But then there’s a whole mess of affordability and displacement and financial immiseration that can really only be solved by tackling the problem of housing. The Politics Of Everything, The New Republic, 12 Apr. 2023 Such proximity to immiseration likely contributes to the sense of desperation on display at these gatherings. Adam Fleming Petty, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2023 El Moussa and Haack are flippers in Southern California who are alternately presented as hapless and cunning in their efforts to turn a quick profit while navigating the same landscape of immiseration. Curbed, 18 Mar. 2022 See all Example Sentences for immiseration 

Word History

Etymology

in- entry 2 + miserable + -ation

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of immiseration was in 1942

Dictionary Entries Near immiseration

Cite this Entry

“Immiseration.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/immiseration. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!