as in impoverished
lacking money or material possessions
because he was indigent, the court appointed a lawyer to represent him
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in pauper
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of indigent
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
The law at issue, known as EMTALA, was enacted in 1986 largely to prevent hospitals from turning away uninsured and indigent patients, particularly women in labor.
—Bayliss Wagner, Austin American-Statesman, 27 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for indigent 
Adjective
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
The law at issue, known as EMTALA, was enacted in 1986 largely to prevent hospitals from turning away uninsured and indigent patients, particularly women in labor.
—Bayliss Wagner, Austin American-Statesman, 27 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for indigent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for indigent
Adjective
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Numerous aid workers in northern Thailand described widespread panic and confusion following the sudden suspension of aid, especially among those whose work provides life-saving services to some of the world’s most vulnerable and impoverished people on both sides of the border.—
Ivan Watson,
CNN,
11 Feb. 2025
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Meanwhile, the sight of an unelected billionaire dismantling an agency that was set up to help the impoverished is already undermining faith in U.S. democracy.—
John Cassidy,
The New Yorker,
8 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The Frasers find out that Jane has been buried in an unmarked grave in a pauper’s field, news that devastates Frances.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
17 Jan. 2025
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He was made to leave a pauper after years of hard work.—
Kanak Kapur,
The New Yorker,
5 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Without education, students with disabilities face higher rates of poverty, unemployment, poor health, and social isolation.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
17 Feb. 2025
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Cosgrove, a rookie revelation in 2023, is looking to bounce back after a poor 2024 season.—
Dennis Lin,
The Athletic,
17 Feb. 2025
Noun
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One is the friction between the haves and have-nots, an old and sturdy foundation on which to build a specific, meaningful tension between two people with differences posing a real test to their attraction.—
Charles Bramesco,
Vulture,
10 Feb. 2025
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As if New Mexico State University, one of the perennial have-nots in FBS college sports, wasn’t already facing enough challenges, the state legislature is poised to toss it a meager financial lifeline that appears all but out of reach.—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
5 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near indigent
Cite this Entry
“Indigent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/indigent. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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