impoverished 1 of 2

adjective

im-ˈpä-v(ə-)risht How to pronounce impoverished (audio)
Definition of impoverishednext
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

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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

impoverished

2 of 2

verb

past tense of impoverish
1
as in pauperized

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Dissimilar Words
2
as in depleted

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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 impoverished
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 In the South, Italians were frequently employed in manual labor alongside Black workers, and in the North, Italian and Black neighborhoods—frequently the most impoverished—often abutted each other. — Ed Simon, JSTOR Daily, 7 Oct. 2026 The actors will soon slip into their 1967 costumes as the impoverished Greasers and the privileged Socs — and spend the next two hours hating each other onstage. — Jenelle Riley, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for impoverished
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impoverished
  1. poor
  2. desolate
  3. ruined
  4. depleted
  5. broke
  6. barren
  7. reduced
  8. exhausted
Adjective
  • Nearby residents have argued that the large apartment complex will be a poor fit for their neighborhood, citing concerns about traffic congestion and fire department access, among other things.
    — Barbara Henry, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Nov. 2026
  • The Lions’ high-flying offense is at its best on turf, not nearly as fast on grass, and their poor red zone defense has been an issue.
    — Hank Gola, New York Daily News, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of poor
Adjective
  • From desolate deserts to cut-off civilisations, wild and remote destinations are emerging as the places travellers will be talking about most in 2027.
    — Luke Abrahams, Vogue, 27 Oct. 2026
  • The road that leads to the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women is long and desolate.
    — Anja Aronowsky Cronberg, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of desolate
Verb
  • The tumult of these raids, which played out daily on TV and social media, ruined lives and hurt local economies.
    — Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 9 Nov. 2026
  • Morgenthau left Coburg hoping to become a writer or poet but was forced to pivot to law after hyperinflation ruined his family’s finances.
    — David Sacks, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of ruined
Verb
  • The program's trustees project that the trust fund Social Security relies on to help pay retirement benefits, formally known as the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund, may be depleted in the fourth quarter of 2032.
    — Greg Iacurci,Annie Nova,Kate Dore, CFP®, EA,Sarah Agostino,Mike Winters, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Under current law, the cap will end when the state wildfire fund, as well as an additional $18-billion reserve created last year, are depleted, leaving shareholders exposed to greater costs of future fires.
    — Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of depleted
Adjective
  • Morning Glory Milking Farm is the tale of a broke postgraduate who takes a job collecting minotaur semen for a pharmaceutical company.
    — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Chastain goes for broke with melodrama as both the real and fake Mommies.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of broke
Adjective
  • As described in the book, the suits still needed to facilitate Herbert’s system for collecting and recycling the body’s moisture in the barren desert.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Away from the shore, the tundra is barren, a broad expanse of moss, lichen, and exposed rock.
    — Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of barren
Verb
  • He was sentenced to four years’ probation and initially ordered to stay away from his ex-wife and two children for six years, which was later reduced to two years, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
    — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 8 Nov. 2026
  • The film, set between the years 1945 and 1947, depicts a society struggling to recover from war, only to be reduced, once again, by the arrival of a kaiju (as giant monsters are known in Japanese, and to fans of the corresponding film genre).
    — Matt Alt, New Yorker, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of reduced
Verb
  • His crass, combative rhetoric, frequent public attacks and norm-breaking behavior have exhausted the American people.
    — Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 11 Nov. 2026
  • The collateral damage could be to exhausted voters who simply wanted the direction of the country to change.
    — Christopher Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of exhausted

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Cite this Entry

“Impoverished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impoverished. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

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