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 WebUnemployment has fueled inequality, poverty and crime with South Africa recording one of the world’s highest rates of violent crime, particularly in densely populated townships.—Emma Ogao, ABC News, 29 May 2024 Over the span of three days, Guterres and others will be sounding the alarm on some familiar themes — the need for access to climate financing and health, stopping hunger and ending poverty.—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 27 May 2024 The new law generally will give rural school districts more money and will prioritize funding based on the number of students who live in poverty, are English language learners or have special education needs.—John Aguilar, The Denver Post, 23 May 2024 Dallas-Fort Worth has 96 ZIP codes — following Houston and the Gulf Coast region’s 128 ZIP codes — considered to be child care subsidy deserts, according to Children at Risk, a nonpartisan research and advocacy organization focused on addressing child poverty and inequality.—Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for poverty
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'poverty.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English poverte, from Anglo-French poverté, from Latin paupertat-, paupertas, from pauper poor — more at poor
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