as in poverty
the state of lacking sufficient money or material possessions
each country has its own standard of poorness, and one nation's needy inhabitant can be another's fairly well-off citizen
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poorness
Noun
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Another urged states to use Title I money to benefit low-achieving students who live within the boundaries of a high-poverty public school but attend private schools.—
Megan O’Matz,
ProPublica,
8 Oct. 2025 -
The bank estimates that two-thirds of the population are living in extreme poverty — less than $3 a day.—
Preeti Jha,
semafor.com,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Separately, Biden thrice designated Haiti for Temporary Protected Status in the aftermath of the murder of President Jovenel Moise, a devastating earthquake, mass internal displacement, widespread gang violence, chronic hunger and extreme impoverishment.—
Antonio Maria Delgado,
Miami Herald,
5 Sep. 2025
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Though very little information from the isolated nation reaches the outside world now, reports indicate severe impoverishment and malnourishment throughout much of the country.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
1 Sep. 2025
Noun
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His legal team also filed a separate motion requesting a public defender be assigned to his case, citing indigence.—
Jessica Sager,
People.com,
8 Mar. 2025
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The ceaseless movement of staff around the world compounds this nebulous sensation of perpetual indigence.—
Nick Foulkes,
theweek,
7 Nov. 2024
Noun
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In the summer of 2021 protests began over the shortages and the penuries that people had been feeling.—
Caroline Mimbs Nyce,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
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Narrating this account of her brief life, Emily provides a sharp perspective on the penury and isolation that created such anguish — and such inspiration — for the Brontë sisters.—
Alida Becker,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Poorness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poorness. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.
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