indigent
adjective
in·di·gent
ˈin-di-jənt 
1
: suffering from extreme poverty : impoverished
2
a
archaic
: deficient
b
archaic
: totally lacking in something specified
indigent
noun
Synonyms
Examples of indigent in a Sentence
… every day, I fled the house and drove aimlessly over mountain roads that passed by indigent farms and strange, unpainted churches.
—
Mark Singer, New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2000 & 1 Jan. 2001
A land post was offered him in November, 1765, as Governor of Greenwich Hospital, a shelter for disabled and indigent seamen and a place affording many openings for jobbery (the contemporary term for bureaucratic graft).
—Barbara W. Tuchman, The First Salute, 1988
He went around climbing dark stairs and knocking on doors and taking flash photos of indigent families in their dwellings.
—E. L. Doctorow, Ragtime, (1974) 1975
Because he was indigent, the court appointed a lawyer to defend him.
The clinic provides free care for indigent patients.
Mark Singer, New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2000 & 1 Jan. 2001
A land post was offered him in November, 1765, as Governor of Greenwich Hospital, a shelter for disabled and indigent seamen and a place affording many openings for jobbery (the contemporary term for bureaucratic graft).
—Barbara W. Tuchman, The First Salute, 1988
He went around climbing dark stairs and knocking on doors and taking flash photos of indigent families in their dwellings.
—E. L. Doctorow, Ragtime, (1974) 1975
Because he was indigent, the court appointed a lawyer to defend him.
The clinic provides free care for indigent patients.
Recent Examples on the Web
Several lawyers who are appointed to indigent federal defendants through the CJA Panel have told the Daily News that many of their checks had also gone missing or been stolen in recent years.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 3 Dec. 2024
About $900,000 is going to the Public Defenders Office for staffing and equipment, while $400,000 is earmarked for an indigent defense fund.
—Molly Davis, The Tennessean, 19 June 2024
As disadvantaged as Roland was navigating this system, imagine trying to do so as someone who doesn’t speak English, who’s elderly, who has a physical or mental handicap, someone who’s indigent, someone who simultaneously has children or a sibling or parents to care for.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes, 24 Nov. 2024
Lori Vallow Daybell is represented by the Office of the Legal Defender, which serves indigent Maricopa County defendants.
—Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 14 Nov. 2024
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John Annese, New York Daily News, 3 Dec. 2024
About $900,000 is going to the Public Defenders Office for staffing and equipment, while $400,000 is earmarked for an indigent defense fund.
—Molly Davis, The Tennessean, 19 June 2024
As disadvantaged as Roland was navigating this system, imagine trying to do so as someone who doesn’t speak English, who’s elderly, who has a physical or mental handicap, someone who’s indigent, someone who simultaneously has children or a sibling or parents to care for.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes, 24 Nov. 2024
Lori Vallow Daybell is represented by the Office of the Legal Defender, which serves indigent Maricopa County defendants.
—Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 14 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for indigent
Dictionary Entries Near indigent
Cite this Entry
“Indigent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/indigent. Accessed 4 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
indigent
adjective
in·di·gent
ˈin-di-jənt
Legal Definition
indigent
adjective
in·di·gent
ˈin-də-jənt
: suffering from indigence
the indigent defendant was provided with counsel
indigent
noun
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