privation

noun

pri·​va·​tion prī-ˈvā-shən 

1

: an act or instance of depriving : deprivation

2

: the state of being deprived

especially : lack of what is needed for existence

Synonyms

• deprivation
• loss

Examples of privation in a Sentence

The country has suffered through long periods of economic privation.

the constant privation of sleep was starting to affect my work

Recent Examples on the Web

But envisioning the privation that followed, with Panguna shut down, requires little imagination. —Sean Williams, Harper's Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024

Saunders and Gamble dig into the domestic privations of poverty — the lack of food and heat, the shame of wearing the same old clothes every day, the constant worry about what’s next. —Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2024

Taped to a dry-erase board at the front of the cardio room, a patchwork of index cards lists some of these whys. Many are testament to the privations as well as to the prospects of life in America. —Alfredo Sosa, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Sep. 2024

In Small Rain, too, the narrator finds himself in extreme privation. —Walt Hunter, The Atlantic, 3 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English privacion, from Anglo-French, from Latin privation-, privatio, from privare to deprive

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

privation

noun

pri·​va·​tion prī-ˈvā-shən 

: the state of being deprived