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

• 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

But the Shah’s failure to provide support to the peasants led to their farms failing, and sent waves of impoverished migrants to Tehran and other Iranian cities—many of whom would later fuel the 1979 revolution. —Nik Kowsar, Time, 2 Oct. 2025

Her existence in the vibrant capital city of Sepphoris brings into questions some of our traditional assumptions of Mary as an impoverished illiterate from a backwater rural village with no exposure to Greco-Roman culture. —Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2025

Cash from the illicit activities had transformed the impoverished border town into a glittering casino city. —Helen Regan, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2025

This time round, Brenda Blethyn takes the Deborah Kerr role as the older Emma Harte, once an impoverished Yorkshire maid who builds from one clothes shop to becoming the richest woman in the world. —John Hopewell, Variety, 29 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1