impoverished

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adjective im·pov·er·ished \ im-ˈpäv-risht , -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

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 of impoverished from the Web

But the emotional gimmickry here gets too close to the supercilious Beasts of the Southern Wild, which was also produced by the Gottwald-Janvey team in a fit of class condescension about the impoverished blacks of Hurricane Katrina.

— armond white, National Review, "Class Consciousness, French- and American-Style," 18 Aug. 2017
As one of the lead gardening volunteers for the Paseo West Community Garden near Eighth Street and Troost Avenue for the past four years, Farris has grown fruits and vegetables that help feed the impoverished in the urban core.

— mary g. pepitone, kansascity, "KC community garden volunteer finds the perfect use for summer tomato bounty," 15 Aug. 2017
At home the North Korean leader must rally his impoverished people by showing off his daring in the standoff with the United States, his country’s sworn enemy for more than six decades.

— choe sang-hun, New York Times, "North Korean Threat to Guam Tests Credibility of Kim and Trump," 10 Aug. 2017
Despite its impoverished state, North Korea has one of the largest armies in the world, with more than 1.2 million active soldiers and 7.7 million in reserve, and spends about one third of its income on the military.

— emma sarran webster, Teen Vogue, "North Korea: What to Know About Its Government and Nuclear Weapons History," 9 Aug. 2017
Kennedy was ousted despite helping the impoverished city rake in more than $60 million in county, state and federal grants for a variety of public works and other government projects in less than four years.

— jay weaver, miamiherald, "I got fired for testifying against city hall crooks, lawsuit says," 2 Aug. 2017
People think of Kathmandu as impoverished, but there is beauty all around.

— the editors, Marie Claire, "Prabal Gurung Takes You Inside His Hometown of Kathmandu," 31 July 2017
Hunger isn’t just a problem found in impoverished countries outside the United States; there are hungry people right here, in the heart of Kansas City.

— mary g. pepitone, kansascity, "Healthy Cucumber Melon Salad recipe gets an Asian twist with fish sauce," 18 July 2017
Their scenario begins with impoverished residents watching their pigs and poultry fall ill, suffering high fevers and bleeding from the mucous membranes in their mouths and noses.

— mark johnson, jsonline.com, "Pathway to peril," 13 July 2017

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.

First Known Use of impoverished

1611

impoverished Synonyms

Near Antonyms

comfortable, prosperous

Other Biology Terms

autochthonous, fecund, homunculus, phylogeny, substrate

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impoverished

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