as in impoverished
lacking money or material possessions
because he was indigent, the court appointed a lawyer to represent him
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in pauper
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 indigent
Brittany Wallman,
Miami Herald,
13 June 2026
The 41-person state agency contracts with private defense attorneys to represent indigent defendants who cannot be represented by the Office of the State Public Defender, typically when public defenders have conflicts of interest.
—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
4 June 2026
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for indigent
Adjective
Declared indigent, he was represented by a series of Broward public defenders until the office asked to be removed from the case, citing a conflict of interest.
—
Brittany Wallman,
Miami Herald,
13 June 2026
The 41-person state agency contracts with private defense attorneys to represent indigent defendants who cannot be represented by the Office of the State Public Defender, typically when public defenders have conflicts of interest.
—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
4 June 2026
Noun
Lower than proletariat workers, the lumpenproletariat includes the indigent and the unemployable, those cast out of the workforce with no recourse, or those who can’t enter it in the first place, such as young workers in times of economic depression.
—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for indigent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for indigent
Adjective
-
South Africa has a history of xenophobic violence as migrants from poor nations like Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi generally end up settling in impoverished communities in South Africa where unemployment and frustrations are high.
-
Dreesen moved to Los Angeles, living on $1 a day and hitchhiking to The Comedy Store, begging for a set and bonding with other impoverished comedians.
Noun
-
Bournemouth are not a pauper club any more, but the performance this season has still be remarkable.
-
The Titanic is still a subject of worldwide fascination, in part because of the range of passengers aboard the ship, from paupers to plutocrats.
Adjective
-
Because of that, these hands suffer from high production costs, poor durability against impacts, short operational lifespans, and there are no existing solutions that engineers can readily draw upon, Wang added.
-
The extreme heat can also affect people who are physically ill, especially those with heart disease or high blood pressure, or who take certain medications, such as for depression, insomnia, or poor circulation.
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.
-
Because once a workforce splits into AI haves and have-nots, rebuilding organizational trust becomes far harder than deploying technology in the first place.
Cite this Entry
“Indigent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/indigent. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
