1
as in poor
lacking money or material possessions
the widespread hope that the lottery's record-setting jackpot is won by an impoverished family
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in desolate
producing inferior or only a small amount of vegetation
an impoverished field that over the years had been overgrazed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in pauperized
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
2
as in depleted
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of impoverished
Literary Hub, 8 Jan. 2026
Jones said the impoverished village of about 1,800 people continues to struggle financially and politically, to the point where the village is without any legal representation.
—Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2026
Released in 1994, Sátántangó (based on László Krasznahorka’s novel) chronicled an impoverished Hungarian village that becomes seduced by a would-be prophet who has seemingly come back from the dead.
—Tim Grierson, Rolling Stone, 6 Jan. 2026
At the time, Presley family was impoverished and unable to afford a coffin.
—Bob Mehr, Memphis Commercial Appeal, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for impoverished
Adjective
Orphaned as a teenager in an impoverished fishing village in Kent, Ishmaelle takes to the seas, disguising herself as a boy to do so.
—Literary Hub, 8 Jan. 2026
Jones said the impoverished village of about 1,800 people continues to struggle financially and politically, to the point where the village is without any legal representation.
—Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2026
Released in 1994, Sátántangó (based on László Krasznahorka’s novel) chronicled an impoverished Hungarian village that becomes seduced by a would-be prophet who has seemingly come back from the dead.
—Tim Grierson, Rolling Stone, 6 Jan. 2026
At the time, Presley family was impoverished and unable to afford a coffin.
—Bob Mehr, Memphis Commercial Appeal, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for impoverished
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impoverished
Adjective
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Flooding may occur in poor drainage and urban areas.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Jan. 2026
-
In recent games, KU’s communication has been pretty poor on defense and that’s led to players taking (and too often missing) wide-open 3-pointers.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
10 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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After the twinkling lights of the holiday season have been packed away, winter can feel downright dull and desolate, especially for families with energetic kids trapped inside by the cold.—
Erica Jackson Curran,
Parents,
11 Jan. 2026
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Man on Fire tells the story of John Creasy, a high-functioning and skilled Special Forces Mercenary, known for surviving even the most desolate of situations.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
While the top 20% spends paper gains, the bottom 80% is currently financing groceries with shadow debt, having fully depleted their pandemic-era savings buffers.—
Katica Roy,
Fortune,
14 Jan. 2026
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Hobbs pointed out that some residents’ wells have gone dry as water levels have plummeted in the Ranegras Plain, and that the land has been sinking as the aquifer is depleted.—
Ian James,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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All of that stuff is very much in play in what’s recognizably on-brand Steppenwolf acting, typified by go-for-broke intensity, naked in more ways than one, from Coon and Smallwood, especially.—
Chris Jones,
New York Daily News,
9 Jan. 2026
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Dennis Hamlin took out multiple mortgages, maxed out several credit cards and nearly went broke, the Associated Press reported, all in pursuit of the dream to get his son into NASCAR.—
Briah Lumpkins,
Charlotte Observer,
31 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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In the 19th century, guano miners razed the place, removing most of the topsoil and leaving behind barren rock.—
Susan Casey,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Jan. 2026
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The next two teams on this list find themselves in eerily similar situations, from barren rosters to enviable cap space to hope at the quarterback position.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The library where generations prepared for their bar and bat mitzvahs was ruined, as was an administrative office.—
Bracey Harris,
NBC news,
14 Jan. 2026
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That they will be personally ruined for doing honest work.—
Dave Myers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is not the primary custodian of police or court records and is often asked to assist only after survivors and attorneys have exhausted other avenues.—
Stephen Martin,
Oklahoma Watch,
13 Jan. 2026
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Advertisement Venezuelans are exhausted after 26 years of Chavismo.—
Boris Muñoz,
Time,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Her family later learned that on April 23, 2021 — the day Parker found his aunt in a bleak mood — Dee had an angry confrontation over financial issues with two employees of the trucking company.—
Christine Pelisek,
PEOPLE,
10 Jan. 2026
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Some of Tarr’s most memorable scenes feature landscapes, often bleak and despairing settings of decaying Hungarian towns, punctuated with close-ups of characters’ faces.—
John Penner,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impoverished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impoverished. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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