Definitions

poverty

[pov-er-tee] / ˈpɒv ər ti /

NOUN

want; extreme need, often financial

Synonyms

STRONGEST

bankruptcy debt deficit difficulty famine hardship lack scarcity shortage starvation underdevelopment

STRONG

abjection aridity barrenness beggary dearth deficiency depletion destitution distress emptiness exiguity impecuniousness impoverishment inadequacy indigence insolvency insufficiency meagerness necessity pass paucity pauperism pennilessness penury pinch poorness privation reduction straits vacancy

WEAK

necessitousness

Antonyms

STRONGEST

abundance ease enough excess plenty profit surplus

STRONG

adequacy advantage affluence fill sufficiency wealth

WEAK

luxury richness

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.

The performance charted Lula's path from poverty as a shoeshine boy to eventually reaching the highest post in the country.

From BBC

The Department of Work and Pensions insists improving the accuracy of its statistics will not change its commitment to tackling poverty.

From BBC

Bono, 65, is well-known for his activism to eradicate poverty and fight AIDS, and has been outspoken against wars in Ukraine, Sudan and Gaza in recent years.

From Barron's

But thanks to programs such as Social Security and Medicare, elderly poverty is much lower than for the overall population.

From The Wall Street Journal

Chancellor Rachel Reeves had been under growing pressure to remove the cap, with Labour MPs and charities arguing this is the most cost-effective way to reduce child poverty.

From BBC

poverty

Usage

Example Sentences

Related Words