Synonym Chooser

How is the word destitution distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of destitution are indigence, penury, poverty, and want. While all these words mean "the state of one with insufficient resources," 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

When might indigence be a better fit than destitution?

While the synonyms indigence and destitution are close in meaning, indigence implies seriously straitened circumstances.

the indigence of her years as a graduate student

When could penury be used to replace destitution?

The meanings of penury and destitution largely overlap; however, penury suggests a cramping or oppressive lack of money.

a catastrophic illness that condemned them to years of penury

When can poverty be used instead of destitution?

The synonyms poverty and destitution are sometimes interchangeable, but poverty may cover a range from extreme want of necessities to an absence of material comforts.

the extreme poverty of the slum dwellers

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of destitution Otherwise, Sacramento might be the one team on this list that isn’t too upset about middle-class life, not after the two decades of destitution preceding its 2023 ascent to the playoffs. John Hollinger, The Athletic, 15 Jan. 2025 Beth has only one season to land a husband who will ensure that her family can avoid certain destitution. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 13 Dec. 2024 In many instances, the monthly benefits provide a financial foundation that keeps individuals out of destitution. Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 28 Mar. 2025 Can this power be guided with care, augmenting the light alongside economic destitution? John Werner, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for destitution
Recent Examples of Synonyms for destitution
Noun
  • The researchers also compiled data on four key negative social conditions – corruption, inequality, poverty and violence – of 183 countries and all 50 US states, going back 20 years to see if there was a connection.
    Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 20 June 2025
  • Inequality is poverty’s foremost enemy, not statistics and Census figures.
    John Tamny, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
Noun
  • Humidity is adding to the misery Oppressive humidity is accompanying the heat wave, according to Weather.com meteorologist Jonathan Erdman.
    Doyle Rice, USA Today, 25 June 2025
  • Cuomo, age 67 and one of the last powerful men to succumb to the #MeToo movement, is an unlikely standard-bearer for a Democratic Party desperate to move on from the miseries of the past decade, but New York politics isn’t famous for its uncomplicated options.
    Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 17 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Destitution.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/destitution. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on destitution

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