as in impoverished
lacking money or material possessions
the dictator and his inner circle lived in unconscionable luxury while the beggarly masses eked out a pitiful existence
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Recent Examples of beggarly
The aerial railway carried its last rider in 1937, and the fare was a beggarly two Depression-era dollars.
—
Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2021
Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beggarly
Adjective
-
In Raspail’s tale, hordes of impoverished and dark-skinned brutes from India descend onto French shores by way of rafts, the first wave of an invasion of the civilized West by the brown-skinned developing world.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Apr. 2026
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The youngsters took the train south to the deep, impoverished heart of China.—
Michael Sheridan,
Vanity Fair,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Arsenal were pretty poor but won, Sporting were pretty good but lost.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
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Ackman blamed its poor share price performance partly on the delay of UMG’s listing in the United States.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Such strong characterizations and go-for-broke performances, especially among the women, make up for some decidedly contrived plotting.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
9 Apr. 2026
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In a recent interview, Case explained that she was functionally broke—no streaming income, no touring revenue during COVID, no way to keep the wheel turning.—
Elizabeth Nelson,
Pitchfork,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Beggarly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beggarly. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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