poor

poor

adjective \ˈpu̇r, ˈpȯr\

Definition of POOR

1

a : lacking material possessions

b : of, relating to, or characterized by poverty

2

a : less than adequate : meager

b : small in worth

3

: exciting pity <you poor thing>

4

a : inferior in quality or value

b : humble, unpretentious

c : mean, petty

5

: lean, emaciated

6

: barren, unproductive —used of land

7

: indifferent, unfavorable

8

: lacking a normal or adequate supply of something specified —often used in combination <oil-poor countries>

— poor·ish \-ish\ adjective

— poor·ness noun

Examples of POOR

1. We were too poor to buy new clothes.
2. The organization helps poor families.
3. She has a poor vocabulary.
4. It was a poor attempt at a joke.
5. He is in poor condition.
6. She couldn't read the sign because her vision was too poor.

Origin of POOR

Middle English poure, from Anglo-French povre, pore, from Latin pauper; akin to Latin paucus little and to Latin parere to give birth to, produce — more at few, pare

First Known Use: 13th century

Related to POOR

Synonyms

beggared, beggarly, broke, destitute, dirt-poor, down-and-out, famished, hard up, impecunious, impoverished, indigent, necessitous, needful, needy, pauperized, penniless, penurious, poverty-stricken, skint [chiefly British], threadbare, down on one's luck, out at elbows (or out at the elbows), out of pocket

Antonyms

affluent, deep-pocketed, fat, fat-cat, flush, moneyed (also monied), opulent, rich, silk-stocking, wealthy, well-heeled, well-off, well-to-do

Related Words

deprived, disadvantaged, dispossessed, unaffluent, underprivileged; bankrupt, bankrupted, bust (or busted), insolvent; possessionless, ruined; depressed, distressed, hand-to-mouth, hardscrabble, pinched, poorish, reduced, straitened; cash-strapped, low, short, tapped out

Near Antonyms

comfortable, prosperous