put upon

comparative more put upon · superlative most put upon · alternative put-upon

1. Imposed on, taken advantage of, used, taken for granted, or unappreciated.

   A man shouldn't let hisself be put upon by circumstances so as to be only half hisself.

   1876 May – 1877 July, Anthony Trollope, The American Senator […], volume III, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1877, →OCLC, page 209

   3 more examples

   Here was he, about to receive his first eleven colours on this very day probably, being ordered about, inconvenienced—in short, put upon by a worm who had only just scraped into the third.

   1909, P. G. Wodehouse, chapter 19, in Mike: A Public School Story

   He felt put upon if she asked him to do the slightest household chore or to conform to any schedule of meals and sleep.

   1984 May 28, Bob Woodward, “John Belushi: ‘Saturday Night’ grind, drugs take their toll”, in Milwaukee Journal, retrieved 28 Sep 2010, page 6

   His toe hurt, he was heavy, he lacked his old explosiveness, he felt put upon by everyone.

   2002 November 24, Mark Heisler, “On the NBA: Lakers Are Still Drama Kings”, in Los Angeles Times, page D14

   Synonyms: victimized