underprivileged

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˌʌndɚˈprɪvəlɪdʒd/ UK /ˌʌndəˈprɪvəlɪdʒd/ See IPA manual

adj

Meanings

1

adj
lacking the advantages and opportunities others enjoy

The charity funds tutoring for underprivileged children.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · lacking the advantages and... disadvantaged deprived needy impoverished destitutemarginalized

Opposites

privileged advantaged affluent wealthy

Word family

Related forms privilege privileged

Etymology

From under- ('insufficiently') + privileged, from privilege, from Latin privilegium ('a law affecting an individual'), from privus ('private, single') + lex, legis ('law').

under Old English privilegium Latin lex Latin

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Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

# underprivileged

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** ˌʌndɚˈprɪvəlɪdʒd
**IPA (UK):** ˌʌndəˈprɪvəlɪdʒd

## Meanings
1. lacking the advantages and opportunities others enjoy

## Examples
- The charity funds tutoring for underprivileged children.

## Synonyms
- disadvantaged
- deprived
- needy
- impoverished
- destitute
- marginalized

## Antonyms
- privileged
- advantaged
- affluent
- wealthy

## Related Forms
- privilege
- privileged

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: under
- Root: privilegium
- Root: lex

## Etymology
From under- ('insufficiently') + privileged, from privilege, from Latin privilegium ('a law affecting an individual'), from privus ('private, single') + lex, legis ('law').

## AI Etymology
Underprivileged is from under- ('insufficiently') + privileged, from privilege, from Latin privilegium ('a law affecting an individual'), from privus ('private, single') + lex, legis ('law'). Important recorded forms include under (Old English), privilegium (Latin), and lex (Latin). Morphologically, the under- element contributes the sense of beneath, lower rank, concealment, or insufficiency, depending on the base it modifies. The modern sense is largely compositional, with the historical elements narrowing into a stable English lexical item. In current use it covers lacking the advantages and opportunities others enjoy. The wider family includes related words such as privilege and privileged.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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underprivileged

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