penury suggests a cramping or oppressive lack of money.
a catastrophic illness that condemned them to years of penury
want and destitution imply extreme poverty that threatens life itself through starvation or exposure.
lived in a perpetual state of want
the widespread destitution in countries beset by famine
Examples of poverty in a Sentence
He was born in poverty.
There is a poverty of information about the disease.
Recent Examples on the WebFifty-one years ago, an innovative approach to poverty SSI’s origins go back to Richard Nixon.—Joseph Shapiro, NPR, 8 June 2024 According to a study from the Brookings Institution, boys born into poverty are less likely to get out of it later in life than girls born in the same conditions.—Casey Schwartz, New York Times, 6 June 2024 New United Nations Assistant Secretary-General Kamal Kishore says climate and other disasters are still hurting people, often pushing them into abject poverty.—Seth Borenstein, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 June 2024 While opposition parties hailed the outcome as a momentous breakthrough for a country struggling with deep poverty and inequality, the ANC remained the biggest party by some way.—Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 1 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for poverty
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'poverty.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English poverte, from Anglo-French poverté, from Latin paupertat-, paupertas, from pauper poor — more at poor
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