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Showing results for destitution. Search instead for Restitutions.
Definitions

destitution

[des-ti-too-shuhn, -tyoo-] / ˌdɛs tɪˈtu ʃən, -ˈtyu- /
NOUN
indigence
Synonyms
Antonyms


Usage

What are other ways to say destitution? Destitution, a somewhat literary word, implies a state of having absolutely none of the necessities of life: widespread destitution in countries at war. Poverty denotes serious lack of the means for proper existence: living in a state of extreme poverty. Indigence denotes a severely impoverished condition that is without 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.

Forty years later, Pope Pius XI, in “Quadragesimo Anno,” criticized concentrations of capital amid the widespread destitution during the Great Depression, but he also criticized the totalitarian responses sweeping Europe.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026

Supplemental Security Income, which serves 7.5 million Americans who are unable to make a living because of severe disabilities or destitution in old age, has never been easy to qualify for.

From Salon • Apr. 29, 2026

After years of insurgencies, residents in eastern Congo are accustomed to food shortages, inflation and destitution.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification said more than half a million people were facing "catastrophic" conditions characterised by "starvation, destitution and death".

From BBC • Aug. 24, 2025

A public pregnancy without marriage meant disgrace and destitution.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson




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