noun · academic
disenfranchisement
UK/ˌdɪsɪnˈfræn.tʃaɪz.mənt/US/ˌdɪsənˈfræn.tʃaɪz.mənt/dis·en·FRAN·chise·ment
the act of taking away someone's right to vote or participate in political processes
Examples
“Widespread disenfranchisement of minority groups undermines democratic legitimacy.”
“Campaigners accused the law of causing mass disenfranchisement in rural areas.”
“Addressing disenfranchisement is crucial if elections are to be fair.”
Band 8 sentence
“Systematic disenfranchisement of certain communities remains one of the biggest obstacles to establishing a truly representative government.”
Collocations
- widespread disenfranchisement
- voter disenfranchisement
- combat disenfranchisement
Word family
Common mistakes
There are many disenfranchisements in this region.→There is widespread disenfranchisement in this region.
They tried to disenfranchise people by taking their rights.→They tried to disenfranchise people by denying them the right to vote.
Say it for a higher band
5take away people's voting rights→6voter suppression→7+disenfranchisement
Synonyms
disempower
Easily confused
enfranchisement
“The enfranchisement of women transformed politics in many countries.”
Related words
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In Society & Government
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