Definition of indigence
: a level of poverty in which real hardship and deprivation are suffered and comforts of life are wholly lacking
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Examples of indigence in a Sentence
there are various state and federal programs to help relieve indigence
Recent Examples of indigence from the Web
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The indigence hearing to decide whether taxpayers should stop paying for his defense team will be held in the county.
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The redemption concerns a feckless pothead (Miles Teller) whose pregnant girlfriend has left him because of his indigence and dissolution.
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Payment was a democratic innovation to ensure that poor citizens would not be prevented from civic engagement by indigence.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'indigence.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of indigence
14th century
indigence Synonyms
Synonyms
beggary, destituteness, destitution, impecuniosity, impecuniousness, impoverishment, necessity, need, neediness, pauperism, penuriousness, penury, poorness, poverty, want;
Antonyms
Near Antonyms
Synonym Discussion of indigence
poverty, indigence, penury, want, destitution mean the state of one with insufficient resources. poverty may cover a range from extreme want of necessities to an absence of material comforts.
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- the extreme poverty of the slum dwellers
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- the indigence of her years as a graduate student
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- a catastrophic illness that condemned them to years of penury
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- lived in a perpetual state of want
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- the widespread destitution in countries beset by famine
Law Dictionary
legal Definition of indigence
: impoverished hardship and deprivation
Learn More about indigence
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for indigence Spanish Central: Translation of indigence Nglish: Translation of indigence for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of indigence for Arabic speakers
Seen and Heard
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