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

In his recent memoir, Newsom describes being divided between his life as the son of an impoverished single mother and the surrogate son of a family with billions in oil industry money. — Dan Walters, Mercury News, 15 July 2026

This British drama series follows a woman named Emma over the course of more than six decades of her life, from the 1900s through the 1970s, working her way from impoverished maid to the world’s richest woman. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 12 July 2026

Younger people are more likely to embrace socialism than older voters raised during the Cold War, for whom socialism may conjure images of an impoverished, freedom-less society like the former Communist bloc in Eastern Europe. — Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 11 July 2026

But for at least the fourth time in almost 40 years, the state is being sued for failing to live up to this commitment by putting impoverished families at risk of homelessness. — Spencer Norris, ProPublica, 9 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1