What does depriving mean?
"Depriving" is the present participle and gerund of the verb "deprive," meaning to take away or withhold something that a person needs, wants, or is entitled to — whether food, freedom, rights, opportunities, or comfort. It is nearly always constructed with the preposition "of," as in "the war is depriving millions of clean water." The word carries a distinctly negative charge: to describe someone as depriving another person is to imply wrongdoing, injustice, or at least serious harm, which is why it appears frequently in legal, ethical, and journalistic writing about poverty, punishment, and human rights. Derived from Latin roots meaning to strip or rob, it shares ancestry with "privation" and "depraved." Related forms include "deprived" (adjective), "deprivation" (noun), and "deprival." Because it names an active process of removal rather than a mere lack, "depriving" emphasizes agency — someone or something is doing the taking.
verb (present participle and gerund of deprive)Taking something necessary or valuable away from a person, place, or thing; the ongoing act of withholding or removing something, especially something needed for well-being or happiness.
- Withholding or taking away something necessary, valuable, or legally due from someone (most common, usually followed by 'of')
- Preventing someone from having, using, or enjoying something
"Years of conflict have been depriving children in the region of an education."
"The new regulations risk depriving small farmers of their livelihoods."
"She accused him of deliberately depriving her of her inheritance."
Deprive comes straight from the Latin for 'to strip bare' — so every time you say someone was deprived of sleep, you're literally describing them being stripped.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of depriving
"Depriving" derives from the Old French "depriver" and ultimately from the Late Latin "deprivare," formed from "de-" (removal) plus "privare" (to rob, strip, or bereave), itself rooted in "privus" meaning single or individual. English adopted the verb "deprive" in the late Middle Ages, around the 14th century, initially in senses involving removal from office as well as dispossession of goods. Its Latin cousins include "privare"-derived words such as "private," "privation," "divest" (via a related route), and "deprave," though the latter took on a distinct moral sense.
Related word forms
How depriving is actually used
"Depriving" is almost always used with the preposition "of": you deprive someone *of* something, not just deprive them something. The word carries a strongly negative connotation — it implies unfairness, harm, or a denial of rights or basic needs — so it suits formal, legal, journalistic, and moral contexts rather than casual speech about trivial matters.
Easily confused with depriving
To deprave means to make morally bad or corrupt something or someone, while to deprive means to take away or withhold something from someone.