penury suggests a cramping or oppressive lack of money.
a catastrophic illness that condemned them to years of penury
want and destitution imply extreme poverty that threatens life itself through starvation or exposure.
lived in a perpetual state of want
the widespread destitution in countries beset by famine
Examples of poverty in a Sentence
He was born in poverty.
There is a poverty of information about the disease.
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.
The Olathe, Kansas native works to expand access to quality education and strengthen partnerships with schools across 35 states, helping students and families through providing educational resources, mentoring and opportunities to assist in ending the cycle of poverty through learning.—Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2025 This assertion that Mary was a child of a well-to-do family might have some historical validity since this text was composed at a time when the poverty and celibacy of the Holy Family had become associated with her nunlike virtue.—Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2025 The timing was also critical, with the pro-Europe government lagging in polls amid a rise in poverty levels and a sharp decline in Moldova’s GDP.—Tim Lister, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2025 In 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act, a pandemic relief law, temporarily increased the amount of the premium tax credit and expanded eligibility to households with an annual income of more than 400% of the federal poverty limit.—Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for poverty
Word History
Etymology
Middle English poverte, from Anglo-French poverté, from Latin paupertat-, paupertas, from pauper poor — more at poor
Share