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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in desolate
producing inferior or only a small amount of vegetation
land that is too poor for farming
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3
as in scarce
less plentiful than what is normal, necessary, or desirable
a poor crop because of the drought this year
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4
as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard
a pretty poor musician, even for a garage band
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5
as in terrible
of low quality
the poor workmanship of the goods from that store
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6
as in pitiful
deserving of one's pity
aw, the poor kitten hurt its paw
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of poor
In the memoir, Donovan confronts the origins of his mental health issues, talks about growing up poor in a 900-square-foot home managed heroically by his single mother, Donna, and how even his greatest successes on the field left him unfulfilled.
—
Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
The state Office of Performance Evaluations cited poor funding as a major problem.
—Audrey Dutton, ProPublica, 24 Mar. 2026
That's what led to a poor decision at the time.
—CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
Slowing wage gains have contributed to the widening gap between rich and poor.
—Shannon Pettypiece, NBC news, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for poor
Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
The state Office of Performance Evaluations cited poor funding as a major problem.
—Audrey Dutton, ProPublica, 24 Mar. 2026
That's what led to a poor decision at the time.
—CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
Slowing wage gains have contributed to the widening gap between rich and poor.
—Shannon Pettypiece, NBC news, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for poor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poor
Adjective
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The Indian film follows an impoverished elderly couple whose developmentally disabled son has become a source of shame in their village.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
26 Mar. 2026
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The backstory The program began more than 60 years ago and typically provides medical aid to impoverished communities and rural, underserved areas — often in lower-resource countries like Angola, Guatemala and Venezuela but in some high-income countries as well.—
Gabrielle Emanuel,
NPR,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Overall, the museum’s collection which once held 150,000 artifacts attributed to periods of Sudanese history as far back as the Stone Age has now been left desolate.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
17 Mar. 2026
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His work can be gritty, like an act of discovery, as his camera pops in and out of shadows, through desolate, post-apocalyptic shops and office buildings.—
Heide Janssen,
Oc Register,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Contrary to what their name suggests, rare earths are not actually scarce in nature.—
Brit McCandless Farmer,
CBS News,
22 Mar. 2026
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Oil prices would continue to soar, while fertilizer, generic drugs, helium and other products dependent on the strait would grow scarce, squeezing the American economy and world economy alike.—
Nicholas D. Kristof,
Mercury News,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The takeover will continue until the district meets criteria set by the Texas Education Agency, which include exceeding the state and/or regional average for meeting-grade-level proficiency in reading and math, and ensuring the district has no schools unacceptable ratings for multiple years.—
Lina Ruiz,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 Mar. 2026
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To have to come and be in this particular bracket every freaking year is unacceptable.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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But Kardashian celebrated its terrible reviews, and the series was renewed for a second season.—
Angie Martoccio,
Rolling Stone,
26 Mar. 2026
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One hundred fifteen years later, a memorial to the workers who died reveals itself as a reminder that workers’ rights were purchased at a terrible cost, and that the lives lost there still ask something of us.—
Christina Ray Stanton,
New York Daily News,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Given that California ranks a pitiful 49th in the nation in the condition, safety and costs of roads and bridges, according to the Reason Foundation’s 2025 Annual Highway Report, taxpayers’ transportation dollars would likely be better spent elsewhere.—
Adam Summers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 Mar. 2026
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The rear cargo space is pitiful for a vehicle of this size, price, and classification.—
Jesus R. Garcia,
Houston Chronicle,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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In less than seven years, the Social Security retirement trust fund will go broke, and under federal law, its insolvency will automatically trigger gigantic reductions in benefits.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
26 Mar. 2026
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The go-for-broke concept, which includes a high-tech heist, a high-speed truck chase and a massive explosion of Cheetos dust, shows the levels to which marketers must ascend to capture consumer attention in media venues that constantly offer new stimuli.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Leeds actually had three shots extra in their more recent barren spell, 72 to 69, but the average quality of those shooting opportunities was lower.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
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On the drive out, the streets of New Orleans were barren.—
Daniel Brook,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Poor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poor. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
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