impoverish

Synonym Chooser

How is the word impoverish distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of impoverish are bankrupt, deplete, drain, and exhaust. While all these words mean "to deprive of something essential to existence or potency," impoverish suggests a deprivation of something essential to richness or productiveness.

impoverished soil

When would bankrupt be a good substitute for impoverish?

In some situations, the words bankrupt and impoverish are roughly equivalent. However, bankrupt suggests impoverishment to the point of imminent collapse.

war had bankrupted the nation of resources

When might deplete be a better fit than impoverish?

The meanings of deplete and impoverish largely overlap; however, deplete implies a reduction in number or quantity so as to endanger the ability to function.

depleting our natural resources

When can drain be used instead of impoverish?

While in some cases nearly identical to impoverish, drain implies a gradual withdrawal and ultimate deprivation of what is necessary to an existence.

personal tragedy had drained him of all spirit

In what contexts can exhaust take the place of impoverish?

The words exhaust and impoverish are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, exhaust stresses a complete emptying.

her lecture exhausted the subject

Examples of impoverish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Businesses will best prosper on a planet that is not impoverished by a climate crisis, as well as in stable communities with lower levels of inequality, a vibrant middle class, and a respect for fundamental human rights. Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 30 May 2024 If forced to go into inadequate prescription benefit programs, many retirees will be spending thousands of dollars each year for life saving medications, eventually impoverishing their family. Susan McComas, Baltimore Sun, 23 Feb. 2024 Chega campaigned promising higher salaries and better conditions for workers, who the party said had been impoverished by a greedy elite. Emma Bubola, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2024 The real architect of those reforms, Yegor Gaidar—the economist who was, briefly, acting prime minister under President Boris Yeltsin—was cursed by the general public, who blamed him for destroying the Soviet economy and impoverishing the population. Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 7 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for impoverish 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'impoverish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Thesaurus Entries Near impoverish

Cite this Entry

“Impoverish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impoverish. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on impoverish

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