1
as in impoverished
lacking money or material possessions
every year, we make up a basket of food at Thanksgiving for a poor family in the neighborhood
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in desolate
producing inferior or only a small amount of vegetation
land that is too poor for farming
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in scarce
less plentiful than what is normal, necessary, or desirable
a poor crop because of the drought this year
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard
a pretty poor musician, even for a garage band
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in terrible
of low quality
the poor workmanship of the goods from that store
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6
as in pitiful
deserving of one's pity
aw, the poor kitten hurt its paw
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of poor
The extract of horse chestnut seeds can have medical uses to prevent swelling caused by poor blood circulation because of the nut's blood-thinning properties.
—
Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 9 Oct. 2025
Cuomo won in rich and white neighborhoods, but also in poor and Black ones.
—Eric Lach, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025
These conditions lead to lithium evaporation, higher production costs, and poor scalability.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2025
Skinner’s poor judgment got the spotlight, but there were other things to note from the loss, too.
—Daniel Nugent-Bowman, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for poor
Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 9 Oct. 2025
Cuomo won in rich and white neighborhoods, but also in poor and Black ones.
—Eric Lach, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025
These conditions lead to lithium evaporation, higher production costs, and poor scalability.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2025
Skinner’s poor judgment got the spotlight, but there were other things to note from the loss, too.
—Daniel Nugent-Bowman, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for poor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poor
Adjective
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The caravan, which departed earlier this month, is expected to take weeks to reach its destination, where migrants hope to find higher-paying jobs in Mexico’s capital city, rather than its impoverished south.—
Caitlin McFall,
FOXNews.com,
7 Oct. 2025
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But the Shah’s failure to provide support to the peasants led to their farms failing, and sent waves of impoverished migrants to Tehran and other Iranian cities—many of whom would later fuel the 1979 revolution.—
Nik Kowsar,
Time,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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To find the killer, Sherlock Holmes and Watson will have to brave desolate moors before a family curse dooms the newest heirs.—
Meredith G. White,
AZCentral.com,
1 Oct. 2025
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With its primary tenant away, the pro stadium here in central Japan was desolate outside.—
Brad Lefton,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Details remain scarce, but Netflix says that players will have to undergo physical and mental challenges in order to receive clues, with characters like the aforementioned Mustard, Professor Plum and others all represented.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Oct. 2025
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And don’t forget to keep filling the DesGully Window Bird Feeder all winter long—birds come to rely on that food source, especially when the weather’s cold and the food is scarce.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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This is an unacceptable physical and emotional power dynamic, even in a fantasy.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
10 Oct. 2025
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Anything less than the protection of creators and their rights is unacceptable.—
Erik Hayden,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Midler and Hawn co-starred alongside Keaton in 1996’s The First Wives Club, with the stars portraying divorcées who wonderfully, wickedly take revenge on their terrible former spouses.—
Althea Legaspi,
Rolling Stone,
11 Oct. 2025
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In the 1970s, when game replays of both programs aired late Saturday nights on public television in Dubuque, Iowa and Wisconsin were equally terrible, and the city was fertile ground for whichever program got off the mat.—
Scott Dochterman,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The Browns have scored the second-fewest points in the NFL, ahead of only the pitiful Tennessee Titans.—
Jason Lloyd,
New York Times,
28 Sep. 2025
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On the side of the highway, Wilson cuts a pitiful, solitary figure.—
Dan Piepenbring,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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For some irony, given the licensing deal with Netflix, Korvo and Terry announce that the Solar Opposites are broke, with all of their moneymaking machines zapped.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
29 Sep. 2025
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In another magical Miami tale, a broke witch who works in a spellshop and an adjunct professor who’s secretly a popular himbo mage team up to win a spellcasting reality show competition — except someone is sabotaging the contestants’ work.—
Lia Amador,
PEOPLE,
20 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Where homes, buildings and fields once stood in the southern city of Rafah, there were now craters and barren wastelands.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
8 Oct. 2025
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Those who reached Spain were offered a place to rebuild their lives — on a small, barren island.—
Miquel Ros,
CNN Money,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Poor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poor. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.
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