impoverished

im·pov·er·ished | \ im-ˈpäv-risht

How to pronounce impoverished (audio)

, -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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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 This is important when experiments allocate critical resources, such as income or healthcare, to impoverished people. — Nimi Hoffman, Quartz Africa, "The problem with economists using randomized trials in developing countries," 11 Dec. 2019 So Others Might Eat, a nonprofit organization that provides services for impoverished people in the District. — John Kelly, Washington Post, "At SOME: Not just a home for the homeless, but a voice for the voiceless, too," 10 Dec. 2019 For those who like to walk, here’s an opportunity to join others while helping impoverished people here at home and across the nation. — Lois Szymanski, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, "Central Carroll: CROP Hunger walk among upcoming events raising funds for local causes," 8 Oct. 2019 This was the era of Jim Crow segregation, as well as the era when the injuries of conquest impoverished Indian people and flattened tribal self-government. — Patty Limerick, The Denver Post, "Limerick: Defending words from identity theft," 12 Sep. 2019 The therapies must also be priced low enough so that impoverished people can access them, says Lynch. — Amy Maxmen, Scientific American, "Treatment for Extreme Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis Wins U.S. Government Approval," 16 Aug. 2019 Six Detroit-area nonprofits will receive thousands in funding from the 2019 Gannett Foundation grants to pursue goals such as helping impoverished young people prepare for success, fighting hunger, improving neighborhoods and more. — Detroit Free Press Staff, Detroit Free Press, "6 metro Detroit nonprofits receive grants from Gannett Foundation," 19 July 2019 Boatmen were charging 10,000 Bangladeshi taka (about $120 at the time)—a fortune for such impoverished people, most of whom had fled their homes with nothing. — Gaia Vince, Quartz, "How to survive in the world’s largest refugee camp," 8 June 2019 King also highlighted the distorted obsession with black behavior in discussions about conditions in impoverished communities. — Jeanne Theoharis, Washington Post, "Martin Luther King and the ‘polite’ racism of white liberals," 17 Jan. 2020

These 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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Last Updated

14 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Impoverished.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impoverished. Accessed 17 Feb. 2020.

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