DOWN-AND-OUTER Synonyms: 194 Similar and Opposite Words

down-and-out 1 of 2

adjective

ˈdau̇n-ən(d)-ˈau̇t

Definition of down-and-out

as in weak

lacking bodily strength I'm over the flu, but I still feel down-and-out

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in impoverished

lacking money or material possessions a soup kitchen where the down-and-out daily line up for a hot meal

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

down-and-out

2 of 2

noun

variants or down-and-outer

as in have-not

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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 down-and-out

Adjective

Fort Greene Park | Free with RSVP A down-and-out ex-soccer player joins forces with a former monk to assemble an unlikely team of players to win the China Super Cup soccer tournament. — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 12 May 2026 The once down-and-out chipmaker continues to fire on all cylinders under Lip Bu Tan, who has only been CEO for 13 months. — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 24 Apr. 2026 The rather down-and-out-looking fellow in front of me was buying a handful of lottery tickets. — Jim Nowlan, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2026 The first pictures McCullin took were of hoodlums and down-and-outs, subjects that reflected his own hardscrabble background. — Andrew Pulver, Air Mail, 31 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for down-and-out

Recent Examples of Synonyms for down-and-out

Adjective

The makeup is top-tier, the Aaliyah swoop bang is swooping, and the jewelry accents stand out without doing too much, which is usually her weak spot.

— Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026
Brennan's maiden win came at the 2025 Bank of Utah Championship in November against an admittedly weaker field.

— Mark Harris OutKick, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of weak

Adjective

The impoverished Reds work as slave labor in the mines of Mars, while the super-strong Golds rule the solar system and war on each other.

— Jordan Moreau, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
Prosecutors accuse him of participating in schemes to divert hundreds of millions of dollars from Venezuelan government programs intended to provide housing, food and other necessities to the country’s impoverished population.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of impoverished

Noun

Historically in Chicago, parent fundraising has been a story of have versus have-not schools, a dynamic threatening to drive deeper inequity in a segregated district.

— Mila Koumpilova, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2026
Often, football is described as a game of haves and have-nots.

— Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 11 June 2026

Definition of have-not

Adjective

Special protection Vaccination is especially important for those 65 years and older, young children, pregnant people, people with chronic medical conditions and those with weakened immune systems.

— Annette Regan, The Conversation, 6 Oct. 2026
Leadership turmoil and a weakened state, as seen with the enfeebled late Ming, could well fuse with latent social tensions to produce an existential crisis.

— Carl Minzner, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of weakened

Adjective

Measles usually kills two or three people in every 1,000 cases, the WHO says, but the disease can be more deadly in poorer nations because of factors such as malnutrition.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
That receiver sends that poor defender into next week at the pylon.

— Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of poor

Adjective

Then, Washington tight end Decker DeGraaf caught a pass and took off down the sideline, the former Glendora High standout running through two feeble-arm tackles on the way to an inexplicable 42-yard touchdown.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026
Briogeo Destined for Density Serum The Briogeo Destined for Density Serum is a lightweight liquid formula that thickens feeble strands, plumps roots, and rapidly spurs new hair growth.

— Sophie Wirt, InStyle, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of feeble

Noun

After Blake Street Cemetery stopped accepting new burials in 1931, New Haven began relying on another paupers’ cemetery located on Woodin Street.

— John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 20 July 2026
That honest job has, across four generations, fed prime ministers and paupers, cooked for the King and Queen, and quietly funded a one-man legal aid service for survivors of abuse.

— Afdhel Aziz, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026

Definition of pauper

Browse Nearby Words

down and dirty

down-and-out

down-and-outs

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“Down-and-out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/down-and-out. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of down-and-out

adjective

noun

Example Sentences

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