Exploitation
/ˌeksplɔɪˈteɪʃən/
Definitions
2 meaningsThe action or fact of treating someone unfairly in order to benefit from their work or resources.
/ˌeksplɔɪˈteɪʃən/
The action of treating someone unfairly in order to benefit from their work.
The company faced legal action due to the exploitation of its employees.
💡 Simply: Exploitation is when someone takes unfair advantage of others, like using their work or resources for their own benefit without treating them right. Imagine a boss paying workers very little while making a lot of money from their hard work – that's exploitation.
👶 For kids: Exploitation means using someone or something in a way that's not fair, like making someone work really hard for no good reason.
More Examples
Environmental groups are fighting against the exploitation of rainforests.
The novel explores the exploitation of the poor by the wealthy.
How It's Used
"The company was accused of the exploitation of its workers through low wages and poor working conditions."
"The film highlighted the exploitation faced by marginalized communities."
"The political campaign focused on ending the exploitation of natural resources."
The action of making use of and benefiting from a resource or situation.
/ˌeksplɔɪˈteɪʃən/
The action of making use of a resource in a way that benefits oneself.
The company's success was due to the efficient exploitation of its resources.
💡 Simply: Sometimes, exploitation means using something to your advantage. Like finding a cool way to use something, for example, wind power. It's about taking advantage of what's available. It's not always bad; it depends on how it's done!
👶 For kids: Exploitation means using something to help you, like using the sun to make electricity, or to grow plants.
More Examples
The government is promoting the exploitation of renewable energy sources.
Exploitation of market trends can lead to rapid business growth.
How It's Used
"The exploitation of new technologies led to significant economic growth."
"Sustainable resource management aims to avoid the over-exploitation of natural resources."
"The scientists studied the exploitation of wind energy."
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
Antonyms
Idioms & expressions
sexual exploitation
The act of taking advantage of someone sexually, often for personal gain.
"The organization fights against the sexual exploitation of children."
economic exploitation
The act of unfairly using someone's labor or resources for financial gain.
"Critics argued the new trade agreement resulted in economic exploitation of developing countries."
child exploitation
The act of using or taking advantage of children.
"The police are investigating cases of child exploitation online."
From Old French *esploitacion*, from *esploitier* (“to exploit”).
The term 'exploitation' has been used since the 17th century, initially with a focus on military use, and later to describe taking advantage of others or natural resources.
Memory tip
Think of a farmer taking all the crops but not giving anything back to the field; that is exploitation.
Word Origin
"to utilize, make use of"