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

All the struggling, impoverished Californians who wish their lives were better? —U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Nov. 2025

The flood of people overwhelmed Bajo Chiquito, an impoverished community of 382 members of the Indigenous Emberá-Wounaan people. —Daniel Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 5 Nov. 2025

One of the hits of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, helmer Hadi’s poignant feature debut follows an impoverished girl living with her grandmother in the Mesopotamian marshes during the Saddam Hussein regime. —Alissa Simon, Variety, 5 Nov. 2025

The deadly raid has renewed debate in Brazil over police tactics, human rights, and the government’s ongoing struggle to control powerful gangs entrenched in Rio’s impoverished communities. —Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 30 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1