poverty

noun

pov·​er·​ty ˈpä-vər-tē 

often attributive

1

a

: the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions

b

: renunciation as a member of a religious order of the right as an individual to own property

2

: scarcity, dearth

3

a

: debility due to malnutrition

b

: lack of fertility

Synonyms

• beggary
• destituteness
• destitution
• impecuniosity
• impecuniousness
• impoverishment
• indigence
• necessity
• need
• neediness
• pauperism
• penuriousness
• penury
• poorness
• want

Choose the Right Synonym for poverty

poverty, indigence, penury, want, destitution mean the state of one with insufficient resources.

poverty may cover a range from extreme want of necessities to an absence of material comforts.

the extreme poverty of the slum dwellers

indigence implies seriously straitened circumstances.

the indigence of her years as a graduate student

penury suggests a cramping or oppressive lack of money.

a catastrophic illness that condemned them to years of penury

want and destitution imply extreme poverty that threatens life itself through starvation or exposure.

lived in a perpetual state of want

the widespread destitution in countries beset by famine

Examples of poverty in a Sentence

He was born in poverty.

There is a poverty of information about the disease.

Recent Examples on the Web

Education means an end to hunger and an end to poverty. —Unicef Usa, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025

Rapid industrialization and urbanization had created a host of issues, including poverty, domestic abuse, poor working conditions in factories and political corruption. —Peter Zablocki, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Mar. 2025

Experts say such migrants were escaping political unrest, gang violence, weather disasters caused by climate change and extreme poverty. —Russell Contreras, Axios, 13 Mar. 2025

The limited series, which centers on Philadephia patrol cop Mickey Fitzpatrick (an outstanding Amanda Seyfried), is a layered narrative about two sisters, an inescapable family history and a community doomed by poverty, addiction and negligence. —Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 12 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English poverte, from Anglo-French poverté, from Latin paupertat-, paupertas, from pauper poor — more at poor

First Known Use

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing poverty

• anti-poverty
• poverty line
• poverty-stricken
• poverty trap
• the poverty line

Rhymes for poverty

• antipoverty

Kids Definition

poverty

noun

pov·​er·​ty ˈpäv-ərt-ē 

1

: the state of being poor : lack of money or possessions : want

2

: a small supply : dearth

a poverty of information about the new disease

3

: lack of fertility

poverty of the soil

Medical Definition

poverty

noun

pov·​er·​ty ˈpäv-ərt-ē 

plural poverties

: debility due to malnutrition

evidence of poverty in calves