Synonyms of bankrupt

bankrupt 1 of 3

adjective

as in devoid

utterly lacking in something needed, wanted, or expected

the company's product development team was bankrupt of ideas

Synonyms & Similar Words

• devoid
• void
• destitute
• barren
• empty
• bereft
• bare
• insufficient
• incomplete
• blank
• wanting
• deficient
• vacant
• partial
• absent
• fragmentary
• short
• innocent
• stark
• fragmental
• missing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rife
• filled
• fraught
• full
• flush
• provided
• replete
• furnished
• supplied
• saturated
• crowded
• bursting
• fat
• loaded
• stuffed
• packed
• bulging
• jammed
• brimming
• crammed
• chock-full
• thick
• teeming
• swarming
• jam-packed
• abounding
• thronging

bankrupt

2 of 3

verb

as in to ruin

to cause to lose one's fortune and become unable to pay one's debts

several bad investments bankrupted him

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ruin
• reduce
• bust
• break
• impoverish
• pauperize
• beggar
• wipe out
• clean (out)
• straiten

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• enrich
• richen

bankrupt

3 of 3

noun

1

as in derelict

Related Words

• derelict
• delinquent
• incorrigible
• degenerate
• scoundrel
• reprobate
• villain
• knave
• heel
• blackguard
• sicko
• cad
• rake
• rogue
• pervert
• libertine
• deviate
• miscreant
• rascal
• backslider
• profligate
• playboy
• sickie
• debaucher
• debauchee
• rip
• perv
• lecher
• satyr
• rakehell
• decadent
• playgirl

Dissimilar Words

• saint

2

as in insolvent

Related Words

• insolvent
• beggar
• waif
• urchin
• ragamuffin
• mendicant
• panhandler
• drifter
• hobo
• have-not
• pauper
• almsman
• transient
• indigent
• gamine
• roamer
• tramp
• down-and-out
• vagabond
• ne'er-do-well

Dissimilar Words

• affluent
• plutocrat
• moneybags
• millionaire
• deep pocket
• billionaire
• have
• fat cat
• millionairess
• magnate
• tycoon
• success
• moneymaker
• nabob
• billionairess
• gazillionaire

Synonym Chooser

How is the word bankrupt distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of bankrupt are deplete, drain, exhaust, and impoverish. While all these words mean "to deprive of something essential to existence or potency," bankrupt suggests impoverishment to the point of imminent collapse.

war had bankrupted the nation of resources

When could deplete be used to replace bankrupt?

While in some cases nearly identical to bankrupt, deplete implies a reduction in number or quantity so as to endanger the ability to function.

depleting our natural resources

In what contexts can drain take the place of bankrupt?

The synonyms drain and bankrupt are sometimes interchangeable, but drain implies a gradual withdrawal and ultimate deprivation of what is necessary to an existence.

personal tragedy had drained him of all spirit

When is exhaust a more appropriate choice than bankrupt?

While the synonyms exhaust and bankrupt are close in meaning, exhaust stresses a complete emptying.

her lecture exhausted the subject

When would impoverish be a good substitute for bankrupt?

The meanings of impoverish and bankrupt largely overlap; however, impoverish suggests a deprivation of something essential to richness or productiveness.

impoverished soil

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of bankrupt

Adjective

The story centers on Zha, a janitor at a bankrupt, long-shuttered film studio who retreats into a virtual world, cultivating an online romance and dreaming of a voyage to the Moon. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 18 May 2026

Meanwhile, the country’s bankrupt government has struggled to crack down on unfair and illicit profiteering and the hoarding of fuel and other essential items. —Malak Harb, Fortune, 15 May 2026

Verb

Among its many distinctions, SPLC is known for bankrupting the Ku Klux Klan. —Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026

Over the ensuing decades, with its litigation prowess and ample funds from supporters committed to advancing equality, the SPLC went on to bankrupt numerous notorious white supremacist organizations, including the United Klans of America and the Aryan Nations. —Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 25 Apr. 2026

Noun

The plan is intended to prevent the company from being dissolved, forced into liquidation or formally declared bankrupt. —Michelle Toh, CNN, 19 May 2020

Ghosn was sent to Japan by Renault in the late 1990s and is credited with turning around a then near-bankrupt Nissan. —Washington Post, 12 Nov. 2019