Exploité

Exploité is the past participle of the French verb exploiter, meaning to make use of, exploit, or take unfair advantage. In everyday and scholarly usage, exploité functions as an adjective describing someone or something that has been subjected to exploitation. It can refer to people, groups, or resources, often implying a power imbalance or unjust treatment.

As a modifier, exploité agrees in gender and number with the noun it describes: un travailleur exploité, une travailleuse exploitée; des travailleurs exploités, des ressources exploitées; la population exploitée. The term is common in discussions of labor, colonial history, development, and environmental and economic policy.

In sociology, political economy, and related fields, exploité characterizes conditions of subordination, wage suppression, or extractive practices. It appears in historical accounts of colonialism and in contemporary analyses of globalization, supply chains, and natural-resource use. The noun form exploitation (l’exploitation) is closely linked, referring to the act or system of exploiting and to the derived state of being exploited.

Etymology and nuance: exploiter derives from French roots meaning to use to one’s advantage. The word exploité thus conveys not only utilization but often ethical judgment about that use. Related terms include exploiteur (one who exploits) and exploitation (the act or process).

See also: exploitation, colonialism, labor rights, macroeconomics. Exploité remains a concise, neutral descriptor in discussions of power, labor, and resource use.