disenfranchise

verb

dis·​en·​fran·​chise ˌdis-in-ˈfran-ˌchīz 

disenfranchised; disenfranchising; disenfranchises

transitive verb

: to deprive of a franchise, of a legal right, or of some privilege or immunity

especially : to deprive of the right to vote

disenfranchising the poor and elderly

disenfranchisement

ˌdis-in-ˈfran-ˌchīz-mənt 

-chəz-

noun

Did you know?

What Does It Mean to Disenfranchise Someone?

Disenfranchise first appeared in English in the 17th century, preceded for a period of some 200 years by the now uncommon word disfranchise. Though both words are, rather obviously, related to franchise, they have nothing to do with that word’s current sense “a team that is a member of a professional sports league." The original meaning of franchise was “freedom from servitude or restraint.” Although disenfranchise does broadly signify depriving someone of any of a number of legal rights, it is most often used today of withholding the right to vote, or of the diminished social or political status of a marginalized group.

Examples of disenfranchise in a Sentence

They disenfranchised poor people by making property ownership a requirement for registering to vote.

Recent Examples on the Web

Read more: Overseas Votes Could Decide the Election Veterans organizations have decried the Republican challenges as potentially disenfranchising thousands of military service members deployed overseas. —Brian Bennett, TIME, 5 Nov. 2024

This system often disenfranchises clients and can leave families crippled with mountains of debt, and people responded in kind to news of Thompson’s death. —Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 11 Dec. 2024

Since the time of the Ottoman Empire, many Shia communities had been disenfranchised, including in Lebanon. —Sheikh Abbas Al-Jawhari, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024

James has appeared estranged from his father and brother in recent years, and Lachlan Murdoch and his father sought different methods for disenfranchising the three other children. —Brian Steinberg, Variety, 9 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1664, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

disenfranchise

verb

dis·​en·​fran·​chise ˌdis-ᵊn-ˈfran-ˌchīz 

: to deprive of a legal right

especially : to deprive of the right to vote

disenfranchisement

-ˌchīz-mənt 

-chəz-

noun

Legal Definition

disenfranchise

transitive verb

dis·​en·​fran·​chise ˌdis-ᵊn-ˈfran-ˌchīz 

disenfranchised; disenfranchising

: disfranchise

disenfranchisement noun