impoverished

adjective

im·​pov·​er·​ished im-ˈpä-v(ə-)risht 

1

: reduced to poverty : poor

an impoverished family/community

2

: exhausted of richness or fertility

impoverished soils

3

of a fauna or flora : represented by few species or individuals

Synonyms of impoverished

• poor
• broke
• beggared
• deprived
• bankrupt

Examples of impoverished in a Sentence

the widespread hope that the lottery's record-setting jackpot is won by an impoverished family

an impoverished field that over the years had been overgrazed

Recent Examples on the Web

CalFresh is the state version of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which sends an average $189 per month to low-income and impoverished Californians for food. —Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 26 May 2026

Rubio said Cuba’s current crisis should be blamed on the military officials behind GAESA, which has ransacked the country’s revenue for their benefit, leaving most Cubans impoverished. —Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 20 May 2026

Prosecutors allege Saab led a yearslong scheme beginning around 2015 to defraud a humanitarian program intended to provide food to impoverished Venezuelans. —Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 19 May 2026

The Sparkles Foundation helps provide food, education, health care and other necessities to impoverished children. —Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1