impoverished

adjective

im·​pov·​er·​ished im-ˈpä-v(ə-)risht How to pronounce impoverished (audio)
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 on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Having two of the three most impoverished cities, especially when those cities are experiencing booming population growth, is its own kind of economic miracle, if an ignominious one. Kathryn Anne Edwards, Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2025 The eye-popping dollar figures in the statements contrast with everything else happening on an impoverished island, where people spend much of their time without electricity and many still depend on meager food rations to survive. Nora Gamez Torres, Miami Herald, 6 Aug. 2025 Those feelings of inadequacy, fueled by an impoverished childhood, were a factor behind both his substance abuse and his many decades of success. Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 4 Aug. 2025 In 1844 Ireland, impoverished thief Liam O’Conner (Lachlan Quarmby) falls for Cora McLeod (Katie Stevens), an aristocrat’s daughter. Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 31 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for impoverished

Word History

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of impoverished was in 1611

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Cite this Entry

“Impoverished.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impoverished. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.

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