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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Private schools, particularly Catholic schools, have demonstrated extraordinary success — even in communities struggling with poverty.—
Paul Vallas,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Feb. 2026 -
In Detroit, where nearly half of children under 5 years old live below the poverty level, the launch marks the program's largest expansion.—
Nushrat Rahman,
Freep.com,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Several studies found that the causation element was weak, including one funded by the Department of Health and Human Services that showed that achieving those life milestones, regardless of order, was what was associated with a lower level of impoverishment.—
Marissa Martinez,
NBC news,
5 Feb. 2026
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Most overt is the sweeping nationwide crime of rural impoverishment; then there are the endless tiny, daily injustices that result.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Oct. 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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The Legislature, governor and unions need to respect our labor and not tax us into penury.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
28 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Poorness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poorness. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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