destitute

adjective

des·​ti·​tute ˈde-stə-ˌtüt 

-ˌt(y)üt

1

: lacking something needed or desirable

a lake destitute of fish

2

: lacking possessions and resources

especially : suffering extreme poverty

a destitute old man

destituteness noun

Did you know?

You may be surprised to learn that "destitute" is related to words like "statue," "statute," and even "statistics." The Latin word status, meaning "position" or "state," is the source of these and other English words. Some terms of this family are directly related to "status," while others come to English through "statuere," a Latin derivative of "status" that means "to set up." "Destitute" came from "destituere" ("to abandon" or "to deprive"), a joining of "statuere" and the prefix de- ("from, down, away"). "Statuere" also gave us "constitute," "institute," and "restitution," among other similar-sounding words.

Synonyms

• beggared
• beggarly
• broke
• dirt-poor
• down-and-out
• famished
• hard up
• impecunious
• impoverished
• indigent
• necessitous
• needful
• needy
• pauperized
• penniless
• penurious
• poor
• poverty-stricken
• skint [chiefly British]
• threadbare

Examples of destitute in a Sentence

His business failures left him destitute.

many families were left destitute by the horrible fire

Recent Examples on the Web

Paiva can’t even access their accounts without her husband’s signature, making the family suddenly destitute. —Cristina Escobar, refinery29.com, 18 Feb. 2025

The bank seizes the family’s assets, leaving them relatively destitute. —Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Jan. 2025

So there's a real tug-of-war between being grateful, and feeling destitute and rudderless. —Bill Chappell, NPR, 16 Jan. 2025

After years of war and revolution, Nicaragua was destitute; there was no money for street signs. —Tim Golden, ProPublica, 13 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin destitutus, past participle of destituere to abandon, deprive, from de- + statuere to set up — more at statute

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing destitute

• the destitute

Rhymes for destitute

• absolute
• arrowroot
• attribute
• bitterroot
• constitute
• convolute
• disrepute
• dissolute
• execute
• institute
• involute
• kiwifruit

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Kids Definition

destitute

adjective

des·​ti·​tute ˈdes-tə-ˌt(y)üt 

1

: lacking something needed or desirable

destitute of the necessities of life

2

: extremely poor : suffering great want

destitution

ˌdes-tə-ˈt(y)ü-shən

noun