noun

deprivation

dep-rih-VAY-shun/ˌdeprɪˈveɪʃn/

Harmful lack or denial of something needed or normally available.

The dry tap and nearly empty container leave the family facing water deprivation.

Nearly empty water container and dry tap beside family waiting with cups, lack of needed water.

Etymology

deLatinentirely

+privLatinto deprive or strip

+ationLatinact or process

The pieces express an act of stripping something away completely. First used for removal from church office or rank, deprivation broadened to taking something away and then to the resulting state of lacking it.

In context

Medical Centric Podcast0:13

Acute sleep deprivation happens when you get less than 6 hours of sleep in a 24-hour period. Its effects starts to show within hours.

Sleep Deprivation: From Tired to Terrifying

More examples

Many children in the region grow up facing severe deprivation.
Prolonged sensory deprivation can cause anxiety and confusion.
She writes about the deprivations her family endured during the war.

Forms

deprivation · deprivations

deprive verb — To keep someone from having something.

deprived adjective — Lacking basic necessities or adequate opportunities.

Similar words

privation: Emphasizes lacking the basic necessities of a decent life.
shortage: Describes an insufficient supply, without necessarily implying serious harm.
lack: Names an absence without necessarily suggesting harm or denial.