Synonyms of impoverish

impoverish

verb

1

as in to pauperize

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pauperize
• ruin
• bankrupt
• reduce
• beggar
• bust
• break
• wipe out
• straiten
• clean (out)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• enrich
• richen

2

as in to deplete

Synonyms & Similar Words

• deplete
• consume
• exhaust
• spend
• squander
• lose
• splurge
• waste
• lavish
• dissipate
• throw away
• overspend
• misspend
• run through
• blow
• trifle (away)
• shoot
• indulge
• expend
• fritter (away)
• fiddle away
• overindulge
• disburse
• lay out

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• protect
• preserve
• save
• conserve
• hoard
• lay up
• economize
• skimp
• scrimp

Synonym Chooser

How is the word impoverish distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of impoverish are bankrupt, deplete, drain, and exhaust. While all these words mean "to deprive of something essential to existence or potency," impoverish suggests a deprivation of something essential to richness or productiveness.

impoverished soil

When would bankrupt be a good substitute for impoverish?

In some situations, the words bankrupt and impoverish are roughly equivalent. However, bankrupt suggests impoverishment to the point of imminent collapse.

war had bankrupted the nation of resources

When might deplete be a better fit than impoverish?

The meanings of deplete and impoverish largely overlap; however, deplete implies a reduction in number or quantity so as to endanger the ability to function.

depleting our natural resources

When can drain be used instead of impoverish?

While in some cases nearly identical to impoverish, drain implies a gradual withdrawal and ultimate deprivation of what is necessary to an existence.

personal tragedy had drained him of all spirit

In what contexts can exhaust take the place of impoverish?

The words exhaust and impoverish are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, exhaust stresses a complete emptying.

her lecture exhausted the subject

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of impoverish

Europeans aren’t accustomed to being told so bluntly by U.S. officials that Europe is impoverishing itself with its dirigisme, but someone had to say it. —The Wall Street Journal, Twin Cities, 28 Feb. 2025

His son visits Baghdad and Fallujah during summer vacations, puzzled by his family’s political reticence and by how his once prosperous cousins are impoverished by the sanctions regime of the 1990s. —Lisa Anderson, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025

Removing or silencing employees who have devoted their lives to demonstrating the value of workplace diversity risks impoverishing the workplace. —Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 4 Feb. 2025

Fans of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán—a small-time autocrat who has impoverished his country, now one of the poorest in Europe, while enriching his family and friends—make common cause with Americans who have broken the law, gone to jail, stolen from their own charities, or harassed women. —Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2025