1
as in impoverished
lacking money or material possessions
every year, we make up a basket of food at Thanksgiving for a poor family in the neighborhood
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in desolate
producing inferior or only a small amount of vegetation
land that is too poor for farming
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in scarce
less plentiful than what is normal, necessary, or desirable
a poor crop because of the drought this year
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard
a pretty poor musician, even for a garage band
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in terrible
of low quality
the poor workmanship of the goods from that store
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in pitiful
deserving of one's pity
aw, the poor kitten hurt its paw
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Try This Instead
Try This InsteadFor
Try This
poor quality
a poor judgment
an unwise judgment
a lousy judgment
a questionable judgment
a horrible judgment
an improper judgment
a poor performance
a weak performance
an unacceptable performance
a negative performance
an inadequate performance
a horrendous performance
a poor condition
a deteriorated condition
a shabby condition
a sub-par condition
a shoddy condition
a pitiful condition
poor nutrition
unbalanced nutrition
improper nutrition
deficient nutrition
unhealthy nutrition
insufficient nutrition
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of poor
While repeating faces could just be poor design, missing fingers, limbs, or other abnormalities are typical hallmarks of Gen-AI models.
—
Brian Welk, IndieWire, 4 Feb. 2025
New Day Urban Ministries (formerly Presbyterian Urban Ministries) helps those who are homeless, the urban poor, veterans and those recently released from prison.
—Elizabeth Marie Himchak, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Feb. 2025
Compared to the general population, adults with ADHD have a much higher prevalence of substance abuse, smoking, financial turmoil, unemployment, self-harm, poor sleeping habits, compulsive behaviors and housing instability.
—New Atlas, 3 Feb. 2025
The Texans’ offensive line was mostly poor this season, unable to consistently protect Stroud.
—The Athletic Nfl Staff, The Athletic, 24 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for poor 
Brian Welk, IndieWire, 4 Feb. 2025
New Day Urban Ministries (formerly Presbyterian Urban Ministries) helps those who are homeless, the urban poor, veterans and those recently released from prison.
—Elizabeth Marie Himchak, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Feb. 2025
Compared to the general population, adults with ADHD have a much higher prevalence of substance abuse, smoking, financial turmoil, unemployment, self-harm, poor sleeping habits, compulsive behaviors and housing instability.
—New Atlas, 3 Feb. 2025
The Texans’ offensive line was mostly poor this season, unable to consistently protect Stroud.
—The Athletic Nfl Staff, The Athletic, 24 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for poor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poor
Adjective
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Like De Fontenay’s debut feature Mobile Homes, which followed an impoverished family scraping by in upstate New York, Sukkwan Island has a powerful immersive quality that makes up for some of its dramatic shortcomings, especially dialogue that can feel either stilted or too on-the-nose.—
Jordan Mintzer,
The Hollywood Reporter,
25 Jan. 2025
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The states that voted for Trump also tend to be more dependent on those federal funds and have more impoverished areas.—
Peter Greene,
Forbes,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Although Mars is known for being a dry and desolate desert, its landscape hasn’t always been so hostile.—
Jack Knudson,
Discover Magazine,
29 Jan. 2025
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At first glance, the entire landscape looked grim and desolate.—
M. R. O’Connor,
The New Yorker,
27 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Details are scarce — Leigh never reveals his plots or even his main characters before a film is finished — but his Hard Truth collaborators are back on board, including Bleecker Street, which will release the film in the U.S., and StudioCanal, which has U.K. rights.—
Scott Roxborough,
The Hollywood Reporter,
7 Feb. 2025
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Because housing can be scarce, Californians have taken shelter in substandard housing, which is often unsafe, the ordinance states.—
Emma Hall,
Sacramento Bee,
7 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Nissan's board has decided that Honda’s terms for a merger are unacceptable, according to the Wall Street Journal.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA TODAY,
6 Feb. 2025
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What To Know Saudi Arabia firmly opposed Trump's suggestions, saying that any displacement of Palestinians is unacceptable.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
5 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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But to add to what is at stake, former Chelsea head coach Graham Potter, who struggled to win the crowd over during a terrible seven months in charge in 2022-23, is returning as the opposition’s manager for the first time since he was sacked.—
Simon Johnson,
The Athletic,
3 Feb. 2025
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And both situations can, of course, be traced directly to the same source: years of terrible leadership by the commissioners and university presidents that end up hurting the athletes — and passing the cost of doing business onto the fans.—
Jon Wilner,
The Mercury News,
3 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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But that resulted in a pitiful rebounding effort and a below-average defense.—
Sabreena Merchant,
The Athletic,
21 Jan. 2025
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This isn’t to say Orlok isn’t evil, but that his evilness does not exclude him from being pitiful.—
Alex Abad-Santos,
Vox,
10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Seeger invites the broke musician to stay on his couch and into the heart of his family and takes him under his wing.—
Lee Sharrock,
Forbes,
19 Jan. 2025
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About half of participants lost money, and 1 in 6 went broke.—
Ryan Ermey,
CNBC,
13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Lost in the woods, Irving dreams of a barren forest and the MDR cubicles — with Burt (Christopher Walken) behind a desk.—
Katcy Stephan,
Variety,
7 Feb. 2025
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The barren structure, half wrapped in glass, is particularly noticeable at night, when strings of bright construction lights illuminate every floor.—
Eric Lach,
The New Yorker,
3 Feb. 2025
Articles Related to poor
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Cite this Entry
“Poor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poor. Accessed 12 Feb. 2025.
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