1
as in impoverished
lacking money or material possessions
many families were left destitute by the horrible fire
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in devoid
utterly lacking in something needed, wanted, or expected
a lingering drought and a sky destitute of rain clouds
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of destitute
Doak and the Immigration and Naturalization Service have been sharply criticized, especially by social workers who came into contact with families left destitute because their breadwinners had been deported, often for technical irregularities that were not their fault but the government’s.
—
Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
None of this is to suggest that Van Der Beek was anything like destitute.
—Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 21 Feb. 2026
These individuals are often left destitute, disabled, and in chronic pain from medically unnecessary procedures.
—Elizabeth Heck, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2026
No matter the iteration, New York is a destitute trade partner, having already emptied its chamber for Towns and Bridges.
—Ricardo Sandoval, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for destitute
Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
None of this is to suggest that Van Der Beek was anything like destitute.
—Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 21 Feb. 2026
These individuals are often left destitute, disabled, and in chronic pain from medically unnecessary procedures.
—Elizabeth Heck, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2026
No matter the iteration, New York is a destitute trade partner, having already emptied its chamber for Towns and Bridges.
—Ricardo Sandoval, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for destitute
Recent Examples of Synonyms for destitute
Adjective
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Rural Cuba was profoundly impoverished and underdeveloped before and during the Batista era, and land ownership was scant among the working poor.—
Max Saltman,
CNN Money,
4 June 2026
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So much for bringing the experience of art to culturally impoverished Butte.—
Jonathan Franzen,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
Adjective
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The dirt road leading to Bust’n B Ranch in Pioneertown, is long, narrow, and isolated, devoid of streetlights and rarely another car in sight.—
Audrey Lee,
Architectural Digest,
28 May 2026
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These blunders were a tragicomedy—a circus act entirely devoid of peanuts or joy.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
27 May 2026
Adjective
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Common travel regrets stem from preventable issues like poor planning, budget problems, and choosing the wrong companions.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
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O’Farrell’s inclination for narratives propelled by brutal coincidence and fatally poor timing tenders a Hardy-esque vision of the world, one that emphasizes the rigid, often cruel limits of an individual’s jurisdiction over the course of their life.—
Rachel Vorona Cote,
Vulture,
2 June 2026
Adjective
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And as for the financial motive that Kouri was broke?—
Natalie Morales,
CBS News,
24 May 2026
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In the 1940s, the company leading the mining operation went broke and filed for bankruptcy, and many residents moved on.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
23 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Destitute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/destitute. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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