Definitions

impoverished

[im-pov-er-isht, -pov-risht] / ɪmˈpɒv ər ɪʃt, -ˈpɒv rɪʃt /

ADJECTIVE

poor, exhausted

Synonyms

STRONGEST

barren destitute distressed indigent needy poverty-stricken strapped

STRONG

bankrupt beggared broke clean depleted drained empty hurting reduced ruined spent

WEAK

flat flat broke have-not impecunious insolvent necessitous penurious played-out sterile

Antonyms

STRONGEST

rich wealthy

STRONG

enlarged full increased saved solvent

WEAK

enriched plentiful

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.

He says he is “obsessed” with the Tenement Museum on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, which shows visitors what it was like to be an impoverished Jewish immigrant in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

Caers says that KoBold is best positioned to put the Congolese archives online and bring investment to the impoverished country.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026

With its outdated infrastructure, the impoverished DRC is no stranger to temporary fuel shortages.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

Yet today, Lisandra Botey identifies more with the impoverished woman in the photograph than with the revolutionaries who liberated her country from Batista.

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026

I had left Howard without a degree and was living on the impoverished wages of a freelance writer.

From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Vocabulary lists containing impoverished

Hamilton

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Unit 2: Pivotal Words and Phrases

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"Marigolds"

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