as in poverty
the state of lacking sufficient money or material possessions
there are various state and federal programs to help relieve indigence
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Recent Examples of indigence
His legal team also filed a separate motion requesting a public defender be assigned to his case, citing indigence.
—
Jessica Sager, People.com, 8 Mar. 2025
The ceaseless movement of staff around the world compounds this nebulous sensation of perpetual indigence.
—Nick Foulkes, theweek, 7 Nov. 2024
Splendor and indigence are equally familiar to him; prudence and shame are equally alien.
—Judith Thurman, The New Yorker, 20 June 2022
Black and Hispanic Americans escaped indigence in record numbers.
—Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2022
His children, three former child prodigies, are to blame for his financial indigence.
—CNN, 13 Dec. 2021
The Misses Arkell had been prepared, as the Professor put it, to minister to his spiritual indigence; but while there was much to be done in the way of instruction, they were reluctantly obliged to admit that exhortation and admonition were superfluous.
—Edith Wharton, The Atlantic, 9 Nov. 2020
Jessica Sager, People.com, 8 Mar. 2025
The ceaseless movement of staff around the world compounds this nebulous sensation of perpetual indigence.
—Nick Foulkes, theweek, 7 Nov. 2024
Splendor and indigence are equally familiar to him; prudence and shame are equally alien.
—Judith Thurman, The New Yorker, 20 June 2022
Black and Hispanic Americans escaped indigence in record numbers.
—Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2022
His children, three former child prodigies, are to blame for his financial indigence.
—CNN, 13 Dec. 2021
The Misses Arkell had been prepared, as the Professor put it, to minister to his spiritual indigence; but while there was much to be done in the way of instruction, they were reluctantly obliged to admit that exhortation and admonition were superfluous.
—Edith Wharton, The Atlantic, 9 Nov. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for indigence
Noun
-
For 25 years, Chavism has co-opted Venezuela's infrastructure for its own enrichment, persecuting journalists and opposition, wrecking the economy, and leaving its citizens in poverty.—
Kristina Foltz,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Droughts, floods, and volatile weather patterns erode livelihoods, disrupt supply chains, and undermine markets, especially in countries already struggling with poverty and instability.—
Felicia Jackson,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Though very little information from the isolated nation reaches the outside world now, reports indicate severe impoverishment and malnourishment throughout much of the country.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
1 Sep. 2025
-
Into this realm steps the ‘stablecoin’, an asset that is growing speedily and that is forecast to become the solution to many problems – the US national debt, a sluggish and conservative banking system and the impoverishment of emerging economies.—
Mike O'Sullivan,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Indigence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/indigence. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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