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 WebFor three Negroes raised in poverty or close to it, the millions that Satchmo, Duke, and the Count eventually earned seemed like manna from heaven.—Larry Tye, Fortune, 4 May 2024 Responding to area’s high crime and poverty, the city spent $3.5 million as part of its neighborhood improvement program in 2022, adding street lights, security cameras and trash cans.—Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for poverty
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'poverty.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English poverte, from Anglo-French poverté, from Latin paupertat-, paupertas, from pauper poor — more at poor
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