Synonyms of destitute

destitute

adjective

ˈde-stə-ˌtüt 

1

as in impoverished

lacking money or material possessions

many families were left destitute by the horrible fire

Synonyms & Similar Words

• impoverished
• poor
• broke
• penniless
• needy
• beggared
• indigent
• bankrupt
• deprived
• famished
• pauperized
• needful
• necessitous
• impecunious
• down-and-out
• beggarly
• penurious
• poverty-stricken
• dirt-poor
• bankrupted
• depressed
• threadbare
• skint
• out of pocket
• disadvantaged
• out at elbows
• hard up
• underprivileged
• dispossessed
• distressed
• insolvent
• ruined
• down on one's luck
• unaffluent
• reduced
• straitened
• bust
• pinched
• hardscrabble
• poorish
• hand-to-mouth
• short
• possessionless
• cash-strapped
• tapped out
• low

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• wealthy
• rich
• affluent
• well-to-do
• opulent
• moneyed
• fat
• flush
• well-off
• prosperous
• comfortable
• well-heeled
• silk-stocking
• fat-cat
• deep-pocketed

2

as in devoid

utterly lacking in something needed, wanted, or expected

a lingering drought and a sky destitute of rain clouds

Synonyms & Similar Words

• devoid
• bankrupt
• void
• barren
• bereft
• empty
• bare
• insufficient
• incomplete
• deficient
• wanting
• fragmentary
• blank
• vacant
• absent
• partial
• innocent
• stark
• short
• fragmental
• missing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• full
• filled
• fraught
• replete
• provided
• rife
• flush
• furnished
• supplied
• crowded
• bursting
• saturated
• stuffed
• fat
• packed
• brimming
• chock-full
• loaded
• jammed
• crammed
• bulging
• thick
• teeming
• swarming
• abounding
• jam-packed
• thronging

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of destitute

The now-tony West London locale was considered a destitute enclave for artists and bohemians at the time, and Hockney's flat epitomized this lifestyle. — Annabelle Dufraigne, Architectural Digest, 12 June 2026

In 2022, after the war ended, Tigray was destitute. — Claire Wilmot & Gisa Tunbridge, The Dial, 12 June 2026

What’s at stake for these retirees, then, is not becoming destitute, but rather not fully enjoying the fruits of their labor. — ABC News, 26 May 2026

As the truly destitute are not likely to receive such invitations, this petty thievery is simply an abuse of hospitality and an insult to those who have offered it. — Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 12 May 2026

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!