exploitation

C1 Topic:People & Society

US /ˌɛksplɔɪˈteɪʃn̩/ See IPA manual

Freq #15802

Meanings

1

noun
The unfair treatment of people in order to benefit from their work or situation.

The factory was accused of the exploitation of its workers.
2

noun
The use of something, especially natural resources, for profit.

The exploitation of the country's oil reserves transformed its economy.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the unfair treatment of... victimization

2 noun · the use of something,... development

Word family

Forms exploitations

Derived forms antiexploitationblaxploitationcounterexploitationexploitationalexploitationerexploitativenonexploitationoverexploitationsexploitationsuperexploitationunderexploitationunexploitation

Related forms exploitexploitable

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

capitalistic exploitation
unfair use of people's work or circumstances for private economic gain

Adjective + noun

Etymology

Borrowed from French exploitation, from exploiter (“exploit”), from Latin explicō (“unfold, deploy”). By surface analysis, exploit + -ation.

exploitation French explicō Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

People & Society Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# exploitation

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˌɛksplɔɪˈteɪʃn̩/
**Frequency rank:** 15802

## Meanings
1. The unfair treatment of people in order to benefit from their work or situation.
2. The use of something, especially natural resources, for profit.

## Examples
- The factory was accused of the exploitation of its workers.
- The exploitation of the country's oil reserves transformed its economy.

## Derived Forms
- antiexploitation
- blaxploitation
- counterexploitation
- exploitational
- exploitationer
- exploitative
- nonexploitation
- overexploitation
- sexploitation
- superexploitation
- underexploitation
- unexploitation

## Related Forms
- exploit
- exploitable

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: exploitation
- Root: explicō

## Etymology
Borrowed from French exploitation, from exploiter (“exploit”), from Latin explicō (“unfold, deploy”). By surface analysis, exploit + -ation.

## AI Etymology
Exploitation is borrowed from French exploitation, from exploiter (“exploit”), from Latin explicō (“unfold, deploy”). By surface analysis, exploit + -ation. Important historical forms include French exploitation, and Latin explicō. In present-day use, it can mean the unfair treatment of people in order to benefit from their work or situation, or the use of something, especially natural resources, for profit. Derived formations include antiexploitation, blaxploitation, counterexploitation, exploitational, exploitationer.

## Topics
- People & Society
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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