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Definitions

poverty-stricken

[pov-er-tee-strik-uhn] / ˈpɒv ər tiˌstrɪk ən /
ADJECTIVE
very poor
Synonyms
STRONGEST
destitute distressed impoverished indigent needy poor strapped
WEAK
bad off bankrupt beggared beggarly broke dirt poor down-and-out hard up impencunious in dire circumstances in great need in want miserably poor moneyless necessitous needful penniless penurious short stone broke stranded suffering unmoneyed wanting
Antonyms
STRONGEST
affluent happy lucky rich wealthy

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.

Whitlock was born March 18, 1948, into a poverty-stricken early life in Millington, Tenn., a suburb of Memphis.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 10, 2025

He was calling from a jail in Jehanabad, a poverty-stricken district and, at the time, a stronghold of left-wing extremism.

From BBC • Sep. 30, 2024

Porter had dropped out of junior college and entered the Baltimore police academy in 2012, hoping to restore trust in law enforcement in the same poverty-stricken neighborhoods where he grew up.

From Slate • May 24, 2024

I think if you take a camera into any rural area or area that's poverty-stricken, it's not gonna look pretty, but somehow we were special.

From Salon • May 19, 2024

For Segre, a friend and collaborator of Enrico Fermi’s who was heading home to a professorship at Italy’s poverty-stricken University of Palermo, these pieces of radioactive shrapnel were priceless.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik