downtrod

From down- +‎ trod

downtrod (third-person singular simple present downtrods, present participle downtrodding, simple past downtrod, past participle downtrodden)

1. oppress, suppress, exploit, persecute, step down on; put down; denigrate, subjugate
   • 1935, The Cotton Oil Press, Vol.19‎, Digitized edition, published 2009, page 36:

     And I don't know of any manufacturer or any industry that wants to downtrod the farmer.

   • 1967, The AOPA pilot: Volume 10, Part 1‎ (Aeronautics), Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, page 64:

     I've heard wicked rumors that FAA and wives try to downtrod small aircraft pilots.

   • 2009 July 11, JF, comment, “Top House Republican slams Obama over stimulus, jobs”, in CNN‎, retrieved 2012-02-20:

     And having an entire group of people constantly waiting in the wings to downtrod even the slightest POSITIVE moves does not help matters.

downtrod (comparative more downtrod, superlative most downtrod)

1. (archaic or poetic) downtrodden; abused by superior power

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)

   • Richard Armour

     Consider the lowly, downtrod worm.

• downtrod in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• downtrod at OneLook Dictionary Search