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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in pitiful
deserving of one's pity
aw, the poor kitten hurt its paw
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of poor
When Peterson pitches, the Mets need to catch the ball, but their poor defense is a major reason for their predicament.
—
Will Sammon, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025
Despite the hole continuing to grow amid poor weather conditions, The Nation reports that so far, there have been no injuries.
—Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2025
Sustained allegations include medication mismanagement due to lack of training, poor supervision of residents due to short-staffing and improper record-keeping, also due to inadequate training.
—Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 24 Sep. 2025
And with that, the mystery woman sends poor Roddy off into the night.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for poor
Will Sammon, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025
Despite the hole continuing to grow amid poor weather conditions, The Nation reports that so far, there have been no injuries.
—Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2025
Sustained allegations include medication mismanagement due to lack of training, poor supervision of residents due to short-staffing and improper record-keeping, also due to inadequate training.
—Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 24 Sep. 2025
And with that, the mystery woman sends poor Roddy off into the night.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for poor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poor
Adjective
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Another example of a property-rich district is Anchorage, where far fewer students come from impoverished households, are learning to speak English as a second language or have other special education needs.—
Krista Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
25 Sep. 2025
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Eric Wright of the Klestsel Dehe Wintun Nation headquartered in Williams in the Sacramento Valley said some small tribes like his hope to team up with virtual gaming companies to try to generate revenue for their impoverished isolated communities using the sweepstakes games.—
CalMatters,
Oc Register,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Unlike other parts of the Cascades, where campgrounds are plentiful and the Pacific Crest Trail attracts hundreds of hikers, this area is desolate.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
20 Sep. 2025
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Despite the Winchesters' massive home, thanks to Andrew's family's wealth, Millie is banished to live in a desolate attic bedroom.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Details on the deal were scarce, but the studio heads were enthusiastic about the new partnership.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Sep. 2025
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Unfortunately, bargains are scarce in South End – even a quick lunch carries a premium.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Afterwards, there were some situations that were completely unacceptable.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
27 Sep. 2025
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This type of behavior is unacceptable and does not reflect the values of sportsmanship, respect, and integrity that Kalamazoo Public Schools expects from student-athletes, coaches, and the entire school community.—
Marni Rose McFall,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Our prayers are with the victims and their families during this terrible tragedy.—
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
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Rather, the wretched truth is a reminder that history’s wins are often, if not always, accompanied by terrible loss — that, sometimes, what was cast as victory may have actually been defeat.—
Andrea Williams,
Nashville Tennessean,
27 Sep. 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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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
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The longtime actor and multi-faceted filmmaker crafts an unhinged, go-for-broke performance as a legendary quarterback putting his potential heir apparent (Tyriq Withers) through a psychologically torturous training camp.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Together with progress made in other areas, such as finding ways of making Mars warm enough to sustain liquid water, restoring barren environments on Earth could be a key to one day living on Mars.—
Chris Impey,
The Conversation,
23 Sep. 2025
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At the time, only a handful of the university’s buildings were completed and the barren campus lacked landscaping.—
Ron Hasse,
Oc Register,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Poor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poor. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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