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despoiled

despoiled

8.7
Something that has had valuable things taken by force
  • adjective
  • /dɪˈspɔɪld/
translation icon : despojado
  • The despoiled village lay in ruins after the invasion.

Examples

  • The despoiled temples stood as grim reminders of the invasion.

  • After the war, many despoiled towns struggled to rebuild.

  • Centuries of conflict had turned the once-lush valley into a despoiled wasteland.

  • The army left a trail of despoiled villages in its wake.

  • The despoiled village lay in ruins after the invasion.

  • The despoiled temples stood as grim reminders of the invasion.

  • After the war, many despoiled towns struggled to rebuild.

Synonyms

plundered
vsdespoiled
6.1

Robbed and emptied of things during war or chaos

is used for violent stripping generally without stressing legal wrongfulness
pillaged
vsdespoiled
7.2

Robbed and badly damaged during war or fighting

is broader focusing on violent stripping not only wartime destruction
sacked
vsdespoiled
7.8

A place that soldiers steal from and destroy during an attack

is used more generally for violent stripping beyond military attacks
ransacked
vsdespoiled
6.0

A place where people searched everywhere and stole valuable things

emphasizes violent loss rather than the searching process
looted
vsdespoiled
5.3

A place that had things stolen during a riot or war

is similar but highlights chaotic events rather than general violent stripping
raped
vsdespoiled
  • Offensive
9.4

Severely damaged or destroyed by people using force

focuses on losing valuables specifically rather than general violent damage
dispossessed
vsdespoiled
8.1

People who lose their home, land, or property because others force them out

describes sudden violent stripping rather than long term loss of home

Antonyms

318 3.2

Protected from danger or from people trying to break in

1 2.0

Kept safe from harm or danger

How Damaged

ransacked
6.0
despoiled
8.7
plundered
6.1

Surface Forms

despoiled positive

Morphology

despoiled = despoil (semi-transparent) = de + spoil + ed

Adding '-ed' to form the past participle/adjectival form of 'despoil' is a regular and obvious derivation.

Etymology

The word despoiled comes from the prefix de- meaning 'completely' or 'remove' and the word spoil, which originally meant 'to take by force'. So if something is despoiled it has been 'stripped or robbed', which explains why we use it for places left empty and damaged.