To be deprived means to lack something important or necessary, or to have something taken away that you need or deserve. When children are deprived of sleep because they stayed up too late, they feel tired and grumpy the next day. When a plant is deprived of sunlight, it withers and turns pale.

The word carries a sense that what's missing really matters. You wouldn't say someone was deprived of something trivial like a third dessert, but you would say prisoners were deprived of their freedom, or that a student was deprived of the chance to learn when their school closed unexpectedly.

Sometimes people talk about deprived neighborhoods or communities, meaning places where residents lack access to good schools, healthy food, safe parks, or other resources that help people thrive. A person who grows up with serious deprivation might miss out on opportunities that others take for granted.

The related noun is deprivation: “Sleep deprivation makes it hard to concentrate.” When you deprive someone of something, you take it away or prevent them from having it, which is why deprivation can feel unfair or harmful.