as in impoverished
lacking money or material possessions
growing up dirt-poor in the rural South
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dirt-poor
Many readers addressed their fan letters not to the author, Betty Smith, but to her main character, Francie Nolan, a dirt-poor tenement child with big dreams.
—
Perri Klass, The New Yorker, 30 Dec. 2024
Shot in a single take, Night Shift tells the story of a desperate and dirt-poor Khun (played by Chatchai), who decides to pack things up to have a better life in the city.
—Sara Merican, Deadline, 31 Oct. 2024
My mom grew up with very-not-amicably divorced parents, one of whom (her father) was well-off and the other (her mother, the primary parent) was dirt-poor.
—R29 Team, refinery29.com, 12 Aug. 2024
Like their grandmother, the village girl from Italy’s dirt-poor south who morphed into a sophisticated Parisian muse, the siblings’ identities are hard to pin down.
—Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 3 Aug. 2024
However, through decades of hard work, focus and persistence, the dirt-poor farm laborer became a space traveler.
—Contributing Writer, Orange County Register, 23 Apr. 2024
When Nitish Kumar became chief minister of the dirt-poor Indian state of Bihar in 2005, kidnapping was said to be the leading industry in the capital city of Patna.
—Ruchir Sharma, Foreign Affairs, 12 Aug. 2013
Perri Klass, The New Yorker, 30 Dec. 2024
Shot in a single take, Night Shift tells the story of a desperate and dirt-poor Khun (played by Chatchai), who decides to pack things up to have a better life in the city.
—Sara Merican, Deadline, 31 Oct. 2024
My mom grew up with very-not-amicably divorced parents, one of whom (her father) was well-off and the other (her mother, the primary parent) was dirt-poor.
—R29 Team, refinery29.com, 12 Aug. 2024
Like their grandmother, the village girl from Italy’s dirt-poor south who morphed into a sophisticated Parisian muse, the siblings’ identities are hard to pin down.
—Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 3 Aug. 2024
However, through decades of hard work, focus and persistence, the dirt-poor farm laborer became a space traveler.
—Contributing Writer, Orange County Register, 23 Apr. 2024
When Nitish Kumar became chief minister of the dirt-poor Indian state of Bihar in 2005, kidnapping was said to be the leading industry in the capital city of Patna.
—Ruchir Sharma, Foreign Affairs, 12 Aug. 2013
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dirt-poor
Adjective
-
The walk is presided over by its creator, a mysterious authoritarian figure known as the Major (Mark Hamill) who extolls the sadistic contest as a boon for the spirits of the impoverished American people.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Probably the one that’s best known is the one about how Philomelus, a young, impoverished farmer and herdsman, struggled to push his plow through his fields.—
Mike Lynch,
Twin Cities,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Cutting carbs entirely can raise the risk of cholesterol, kidney stones, poor bone health, gut problems, and even cancer, added Stefanki.—
Caitlin Pagán,
Verywell Health,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Before Wednesday’s game, people within the organization were optimistic about Helsley putting his tipping problem and overall poor pitching behind him, pointing to a clean inning Monday.—
Will Sammon,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dirt-poor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dirt-poor. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share