as in impoverished
lacking money or material possessions
because he was indigent, the court appointed a lawyer to represent him
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in pauper
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of indigent
Kff Health News, Oc Register, 6 Jan. 2026
Nationally, about 12,000 private attorneys who rely on the courts to appoint them to represent indigent defendants went without pay for about six months, thanks to the snowballing effect of budget issues, the government shutdown and a computer glitch.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 30 Dec. 2025
Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for indigent
Adjective
In many cases, indigent programs didn’t include specialty care, behavioral health, or regular access to primary care.
—Kff Health News, Oc Register, 6 Jan. 2026
Nationally, about 12,000 private attorneys who rely on the courts to appoint them to represent indigent defendants went without pay for about six months, thanks to the snowballing effect of budget issues, the government shutdown and a computer glitch.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 30 Dec. 2025
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
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Surely my imagination was not so impoverished?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
-
They are fascinated by this impoverished district of docks and shabby warehouses, associated in the popular imagination with Asian sailors, white slavery, and cholera.—
Hari Kunzru,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Tate eventually moved in with her family, who rejected Austen; Austen moved to the Staten Island Farm Colony, a pauper’s hospital.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
22 Nov. 2025
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When the new sections were added, the old burying ground became a pauper's cemetery for poor White and and Black residents.—
Alexandria Burris,
IndyStar,
14 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Evening people were 79% more likely to have poor overall heart health compared with those in the intermediate group, the study found.—
Dr. Joseph Wendt,
ABC News,
28 Jan. 2026
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Audits have identified poor planning, weak oversight, and insufficient monitoring of quality and cost.—
Walter Pavlo,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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With fewer homes available for median earners, today's housing market is widening the gap between the haves and have-nots, with younger Americans less likely to buy a home, the study says.—
Mike Winters,
CNBC,
21 Aug. 2025
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Based on the video game from Bethesda Game Studios, Fallout is the story of haves and have-nots in a world in which there’s almost nothing left to have.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
18 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Indigent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/indigent. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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