impoverished

adjective

im·​pov·​er·​ished im-ˈpä-v(ə-)risht 

1

: reduced to poverty : poor

an impoverished family/community

2

: exhausted of richness or fertility

impoverished soils

3

of a fauna or flora : represented by few species or individuals

Synonyms of impoverished

• poor
• broke
• beggared
• deprived
• bankrupt

Examples of impoverished in a Sentence

the widespread hope that the lottery's record-setting jackpot is won by an impoverished family

an impoverished field that over the years had been overgrazed

Recent Examples on the Web

The uneasy feeling spans political affiliation in the town, which is split between two largely rural and somewhat impoverished counties, although some were more hopeful than others that there are signs of reprieve on the horizon. —Makiya Seminera, Fortune, 19 Dec. 2025

In his 20s, Omandam embarked on a two- to three-week voyage across the Pacific Ocean, leaving his rural and impoverished hometown to earn money to send home. —Sam Vong, The Conversation, 18 Dec. 2025

At the same time, 2025 has seen a large-scale withdrawal of humanitarian and development funding of more impoverished nations by the world’s richer countries. —Belinda Luscombe, Time, 18 Dec. 2025

Meanwhile, the slaves’ families were broken up, left impoverished, and in many cases their cultures, languages, and land were soon imperiled by invading colonial forces. —Literary Hub, 12 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1