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

Relevance

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

Ferries are a common method of travel and accidents occur regularly, in part due to weak enforcement of safety standards.

— IMAN SATRIA, Arkansas Online, 15 Sep. 2026
This time a year ago, a weak La Niña — El Niño’s cool counterpart — was in place, and only a handful of other years have had such a rapid flip to a potent El Niño, including the strongest ever event from 1982 to 1983.

— Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of weak

Adjective

For 29-year-old Brian Ngobese, who grew up in South Africa’s impoverished Alexandra township, moments like this mean more than applause.

— ABC News, ABC News, 18 Sep. 2026
The story centers on an impoverished young miner living a muted existence in a remote town where emotional reticence is the norm among men.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 11 Sep. 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

When people use contaminated soap, bacteria can enter the body through cuts and cracks in the skin and lead to infections, especially in people with weakened immune systems.

— Jenna Anderson, HEALTH, 16 Sep. 2026
Even children vaccinated for varicella, such as those in the United States since 1995, still have dormant virus in their neurons, since the vaccine uses a live but weakened strain.

— Andrew Bubak, The Conversation, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of weakened

Adjective

Renovation will only yield temporary improvement unless the original cause of a poor-quality lawn is remedied.

— Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 19 Sep. 2026
The consequences of a poor performance in the takeaway department sets a very high standard for rookies, something that can only bode well for the future.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of poor

Adjective

There has to be something more than this, looking feeble against a rookie lefty with average stuff followed by the worst bullpen in baseball.

— Matt Gelb, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Kenneth Branagh originated the somewhat aloof professor, who steps into the role after Professor Quirrell was revealed to be hosting the feeble Lord Voldemort on the back of his bald head.

— Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 1 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 20 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of down-and-out

adjective

noun

Example Sentences

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