destitution

noun

des·​ti·​tu·​tion ˌde-stə-ˈtü-shən 

-ˈtyü-

: the state of being destitute

especially : such extreme want as threatens life unless relieved

Synonyms

• poverty
• misery

Choose the Right Synonym for destitution

poverty, indigence, penury, want, destitution mean the state of one with insufficient resources.

poverty may cover a range from extreme want of necessities to an absence of material comforts.

the extreme poverty of the slum dwellers

indigence implies seriously straitened circumstances.

the indigence of her years as a graduate student

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 destitution in a Sentence

widespread destitution in Third World countries

Recent Examples on the Web

Families face catastrophic conditions More than half a million people in Gaza are trapped in famine, marked by widespread starvation, destitution and preventable deaths, according to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis, released today. —Sarah Ferguson, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025

More Bashar Taleb/Getty Images What To Know The IPC, a global initiative led by UN agencies, governments, and aid groups, elevated Gaza Governorate, which includes Gaza City, to Phase 5—the highest level of food insecurity—marked by starvation, destitution, and death. —Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025

That means at least one in five people or households severely lack food and face starvation and destitution. —Edith M. Lederer, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2025

All the hallmarks of American poverty — bad food, obesity and urban blight — coalesced in an apocalyptic scene of destitution and vagrancy. —Andrew Moore, New York Times, 15 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for destitution

• absolution
• allocution
• attribution
• comminution
• constitution
• contribution
• convolution
• devolution
• diminution
• dissolution
• distribution
• elocution