poorness

noun

Definition of poornessnext
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
  1. poverty
  2. impoverishment
  3. indigence
  4. penury
Noun
  • As inflation skyrockets in Iran, many civilians will feel the bite of poverty and hardship in the coming months, said Hadi Kahalzadeh, economist and non-resident fellow at the Quincy Institute.
    — Jeremy Diamond, CNN Money, 31 July 2026
  • VisionSpring launched the initiative in 2018 as an expansion of its work providing affordable eyewear to people living in poverty.
    — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 31 July 2026
Definition of poverty
Noun
  • Despite the tremendous fear of living in a world where Black people are dealing with impoverishment, some of the characters develop an inexorable will to fight anti-Black oppression.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 July 2026
  • From impoverishment to global superpower, China’s supremacy happened at a breakneck speed thanks to the visionary strategy of the man who took power in 1978.
    — Rund Abdelfatah, NPR, 23 July 2026
Definition of impoverishment
Noun
  • 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
  • The ceaseless movement of staff around the world compounds this nebulous sensation of perpetual indigence.
    — Nick Foulkes, theweek, 7 Nov. 2024
Definition of indigence
Noun
  • Trump has squeezed tight on the island’s already ailing economy, with a de facto blockade on the importation of oil bringing Cuba to virtual penury.
    — Niall Stanage, The Hill, 20 May 2026
  • Such claims of penury, however, were difficult to square with certain facts.
    — Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Definition of penury
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

poor-mouths
poorness
poor-spirited
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Cite this Entry

“Poorness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poorness. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

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