poverty-stricken

adjective

pov·​er·​ty-strick·​en ˈpä-vər-tē-ˌstri-kən 

: very poor : destitute

Synonyms

• beggared
• beggarly
• broke
• destitute
• dirt-poor
• down-and-out
• famished
• hard up
• impecunious
• impoverished
• indigent
• necessitous
• needful
• needy
• pauperized
• penniless
• penurious
• poor
• skint [chiefly British]
• threadbare

Word History

First Known Use

1786, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

poverty-stricken

adjective

pov·​er·​ty-strick·​en

-ˌstrik-ən

: very poor : destitute