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Definitions

destitution

[des-ti-too-shuhn, -tyoo-] / ˌdɛs tɪˈtu ʃən, -ˈtyu- /
NOUN
indigence
Synonyms
STRONG
poverty privation want
Antonyms
STRONG
abundance

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.

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026

"If we violate the ban, we face prison. If we comply, we face destitution," one unnamed farmer in Helmand province told BBC Pashto this summer.

From BBC • Nov. 6, 2025

Last week a UN-backed hunger monitor said there was now famine in Gaza City and that more than 500,000 people in Gaza were facing "starvation, destitution and death".

From BBC • Aug. 25, 2025

The destitution will not just be political and moral, it will be economic too.

From Salon • May 29, 2025

Holmes even wanted Ned to buy life insurance, for surely once his marital strife subsided, he would want to protect Julia and Pearl from destitution in the event of his death.

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

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.