Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Showing results for poverty-stricken.
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.

The recording has spread widely on social media and caused a strong reaction in oil-rich but poverty-stricken Equatorial Guinea, ruled by Obiang for over 40 years.

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

This explosive, eye-opening work came from Ivy League professor Desmond moving to a trailer park and rooming house in a poverty-stricken part of Milwaukee.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2025

He was born as Archie Leach in Horfield in 1904, and later escaped a poverty-stricken childhood to join a circus aged 14.

From BBC • Nov. 22, 2024

The decision means there will be more preventable deaths in the 17 poverty-stricken counties along Interstate 95 that constitute the Corridor of Shame, Brown said.

From Salon • Oct. 31, 2024

I saw few or no dilapidated houses, with poverty-stricken inmates; no half-naked children and barefooted women, such as I had been accustomed to see in Hillsborough, Easton, St. Michael’s, and Baltimore.

From "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass" by Frederick Douglass