despoilment

9.8

The forceful taking of things like money, land or trees that causes damage

noun
/dɪˈspɔɪlmənt/

: despojo

Historically, the kind of drastic accumulation I encountered is a brand-new kind of despoilment.

Examples

Reports documented the despoilment of natural resources during the conflict.
The despoilment of ancient artifacts can lead to a loss of cultural heritage.
The activists rallied against the despoilment of the rainforest for timber and mining.

Synonyms

confiscation

vsdespoilment

15 5.4

An authority takes someone's property as a punishment

is a forceful private stripping rather than lawful seizure by authority

depredation

vsdespoilment

Specialized

4 9.8

Damage and stealing caused by a violent attack

is about taking property specifically rather than general attacking or damaging

dispossession

vsdespoilment

Specialized

3 8.2

A legal loss of land, property or other things someone owns

is violent or forceful rather than a lawful or formal removal

spoliation

vsdespoilment

1 9.9

Taking goods by force, often during war or disorder

is about forceful removal rather than stressing legal wrongdoing

despoilation

vsdespoilment

9.9

Violent stealing and damage of things from a place

is focused on forceful removal including natural resources and valuables

despoliation

vsdespoilment

9.9

A violent taking of valuable things from a place like a temple or forest

is the broader act of forceful taking beyond only violent plundering

spoilation

vsdespoilment

Archaic

9.9

Taking things by force from a place, often during war

includes similar forceful taking but highlights natural resources and valuables

disseise

vsdespoilment

Archaic

9.9

The illegal taking of someone's land or property

is the broader violent removal including valuables and resources, not only land

disappropriation

vsdespoilment

Formal

9.9

Taking something away from the person who owns or uses it

is forceful and physical rather than merely wrongful or improper taking

Antonyms

restoration

98 3.4

The act of returning something to its original state

preservation

90 3.8

Keeping things safe and in good condition, for example food or buildings

How Violent

despoilment

9.8

plundering

2 6.0

robbery

749 2.3

looting

72 4.9

theft

356 1.1

pilferage

1 7.5

Surface Forms

despoilment singular

despoilments plural

Morphology

despoilment = despoil (semi-transparent) = de + spoil + ment

The noun is a regular action/result formation from the verb 'despoil' with the suffix '-ment'.

Etymology

Despoilment has the prefix de- meaning 'remove' and the part spoil, as in 'spoils' meaning goods taken in war. So despoilment is the act of forcefully taking away property, valuables, or natural resources.