Exploitation Film Definition & Meaning

American

Etymology

Examples

exploitation film American [eks-ploi-tey-shuhn film] / ˌɛks plɔɪˈteɪ ʃən ˌfɪlm /

noun

1. a low-budget movie characterized by extreme violence, excessive gore, gratuitous sex, or other content meant to shock, disgust, or titillate.

Etymology

Origin of exploitation film

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Rudy Ray Moore, later a raunchy comedian who starred in the 1975 exploitation film “Dolemite,” was Mr. Smith’s driver.

From Washington Post

This one’s a don’t-miss movie only for folks with a strong constitution and a morbid curiosity about a game-changing but troubling exploitation film.

From New York Times

The grindhouse exploitation film could ruin her weekend.

From New York Times

Rabbitt also tried his hand at singing a similar kind of garage rock ’n’ roll, releasing the stomping singles “Wishy-Washy Woman” and “Pushover” in 1965; he performed the latter in the Larry Buchanan-directed exploitation film “High Yellow.”

From Los Angeles Times

An exploitation film that proceeds as if it were a solemn memorial, “The Secrets We Keep” doesn’t do right by the Holocaust history it invokes — or much else.

From New York Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.