destitution

noun

des·​ti·​tu·​tion ˌde-stə-ˈtü-shən 

-ˈtyü-

: the state of being destitute

especially : such extreme want as threatens life unless relieved

Synonyms of destitution

• poverty
• misery

Choose the Right Synonym for destitution

poverty, indigence, penury, want, destitution mean the state of one with insufficient resources.

poverty may cover a range from extreme want of necessities to an absence of material comforts.

the extreme poverty of the slum dwellers

indigence implies seriously straitened circumstances.

the indigence of her years as a graduate student

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 destitution in a Sentence

widespread destitution in Third World countries

Recent Examples on the Web

When the family patriarch dies, Nicholas, his mother, and sister are thrown into financial destitution. —Diana Arterian, Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026

Even longtime supporters from the Alawite religious minority—the sect to which the Assads belong—began to complain about their destitution. —Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2026

The Strip had been reduced to a landscape of destitution and ruin. —David Remnick, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2025

In late August, the World Health Organization cited a new Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis that found more than half a million people in Gaza are trapped in famine, marked by widespread starvation, destitution and preventable deaths. —Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for destitution

• absolution
• allocution
• attribution
• comminution
• constitution
• contribution
• convolution
• devolution
• diminution
• dissolution
• distribution
• elocution