PoliticsAugust 28, 2026

immiseration

ih-MIZ-uh-RAY-shun

Definition

The act or process of making someone or a population extremely impoverished or miserable.

Etymology

Derived from the Latin word 'miser,' meaning 'wretched,' combined with the prefix 'in-' (into) and the suffix '-ation' to denote a state or process of becoming impoverished.

In the news

The author uses this term to argue that Donald Trump's trade policy objective was to impoverish or economically weaken neighboring countries rather than achieve a balanced agreement.

Trump’s Art of the Bad Deal Comes to Canada

Read the full article ↗

Jacobin

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