exploitative

Sometimes ex·ploit·a·to·ry
ex·ploit·ive

[ik-sploi-tuh-tiv]

adjective

1. taking unfair or unethical advantage of a person, group, or situation for the purpose of profit, comfort, or advancement.

   Her success attracted too many exploitative relatives to count.

Other Word Forms

• exploitatively adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of exploitative¹

First recorded in 1890–95; exploit ² ( def. ) + -ative ( def. )

Example Sentences

In many Indian cities, betting already takes place through local bookies who operate without oversight, which is often more exploitative than online platforms.

From BBC

After all, her next book is a roman à clef about Gala, and writing about a woman who might be in dire straits would be exploitative.

From Los Angeles Times

"No amount of 'thanking' them for their heroism should excuse the exploitative economic model that oppresses them every day to sustain the lives we live in Singapore," said Mr Kumarr.

From BBC

Some current version of this is the #FreeBritney movement surrounding Britney Spears’ demand to be released from an oppressive, exploitative conservatorship that denies Spears autonomy over her career, earnings, even her own body.

From Salon

There's a call to protect traditional crafts and skills and also for a radical change in rejecting modern, unsustainable, exploitative forms of farming.

From BBC

Related Words

• corrupt 
• crafty 
• crooked 
• deceitful 
• dishonest 
• illegal 
• petty 
• ruthless 
• selfish 
• shady 
• shameless 
• underhanded 
• unethical 
• venal 

When To Use

What does exploitative mean?

Exploitative is an adjective that describes someone or something that selfishly takes advantage of someone or a group of people in order to profit from them or otherwise benefit.It comes from the verb exploit, which commonly means to take advantage in such a way. The act of doing so is exploitation.As a verb, exploit can also be used in a more neutral way that doesn’t imply selfishness: to make the best use of something, especially an opportunity, or to create a profit or other benefit. But when the verb is applied to people, it is always used negatively.Exploitative is only ever used negatively, and it always implies greed, selfishness, or unethical practices. It’s often used in the context of the exploitation of workers by businesses, especially in phrases like exploitative practices. Other, less common variations of exploitative are exploitive and exploitatory.Example: The article exposes many of the industry’s exploitative business practices.