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poverty

[pov-er-tee] / ˈpɒv ər ti /


Usage

What are other ways to say poverty? Poverty denotes serious lack of the means for proper existence: living in a state of extreme poverty. Destitution, a somewhat more literary word, implies a state of having absolutely none of the necessities of life: widespread destitution in countries at war. Indigence denotes a severely impoverished condition marked by hardship and the lack of any of life’s comforts: reduced to a life of indigence.

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.

See Examples For:

"Many of them are affected by fuel poverty," Naomi said.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

Campbell founded the charity in 2005, aiming to harness the fashion industry to relieve poverty and advance health and education, by making grants to other organisations and giving resources towards global disasters.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

The indignity and grime of poverty, the constant close proximity, the competitive scramble for decreasing amounts of writing time made them hunker defensively.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

Some argue that the Census Bureau data paints an overly dire portrait of elder poverty.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026

It seemed to me that greed was just as much of a prison as poverty, only worse.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo




Vocabulary lists containing poverty


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