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im·pov·er·ished | \ im-ˈpäv-risht 
, -ˈpä-və- \
, -ˈpä-və- \Definition of impoverished
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
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Synonyms & Antonyms for impoverished
Synonyms
- beggared,
- beggarly,
- broke,
- destitute,
- dirt-poor,
- down-and-out,
- famished,
- hard up,
- impecunious,
- indigent,
- necessitous,
- needful,
- needy,
- pauperized,
- penniless,
- penurious,
- poor,
- poverty-stricken,
- skint
- [chiefly British],
- threadbare
Antonyms
- affluent,
- deep-pocketed,
- fat,
- fat-cat,
- flush,
- moneyed
- (also monied),
- opulent,
- rich,
- silk-stocking,
- wealthy,
- well-heeled,
- well-off,
- well-to-do
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 Imelda Marcos was famous for her lavish lifestyle in an impoverished country and collection of more than 1,000 pairs of shoes.
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Bill Mcgraw, Detroit Free Press, "How a 1975 traffic stop thrust Kathy DuRoss into gossipy stardom with Henry Ford II," 11 May 2020 The people of Midleton — and for that matter, Ireland — never forgot the generosity of the impoverished tribe that sacrificed to assist people in dire straits.
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Debra Utacia Krol, azcentral, "'We never forgot': Why the Irish are helping Navajo and Hopi tribes hit by pandemic," 8 May 2020 Many young men like him, born into impoverished and landless homes in Western Uttar Pradesh’s Shamli district, become pheri wallahs or travelling cloth salesman.
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Harsh Mander, Quartz India, "An Indian cloth trader’s harrowing, 900 km walk home amid coronavirus lockdown," 28 Apr. 2020 The shutdowns imposed by governments around the world will hit the working poor in already impoverished nations especially hard.
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William Cummings, USA TODAY, "UN food program chief fears coronavirus could lead to 'famines of biblical proportions'," 22 Apr. 2020 Social justice lawyers and urban city planners took up the hard effort of bringing this vision to the impoverished, the hungry and the discriminated.
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Smithsonian Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, "Fifty Things We’ve Learned About the Earth Since the First Earth Day," 22 Apr. 2020 In recent days, President Trump has shown his impatience with Afghanistan as the coronavirus spread across the impoverished country, threatening U.S. troops stationed there.
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Abraham Mahshie, Washington Examiner, "Pentagon supports restricting information on Taliban attacks amid deteriorating peace effort," 1 May 2020 One clue that the proceeds are intended to reward loyalty is that, in general, North Korea’s imports of luxury goods have exceeded even the Kim family’s appetites, and nobody else in the impoverished country could afford them.
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John Walcott, Time, "Cash, Yachts, and Cognac: Kim Yo-Jong's Links to the Secretive Office Keeping North Korea's Elites in Luxury," 29 Apr. 2020 Initially, the distribution received criticism for its location in northwest Houston and not in areas perceived as impoverished, Zelenka said.
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Chevall Pryce, Houston Chronicle, "Mega food distribution relocates to Berry Center for third week," 27 Apr. 2020
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'impoverished.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Time Traveler for impoverished
The first known use of impoverished was in 1611
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