Synonyms of needy

needy

adjective

ˈnē-dē 

as in impoverished

lacking money or material possessions

those generous souls who regularly give money and donate clothes to help the needy

Synonyms & Similar Words

• impoverished
• poor
• broke
• indigent
• destitute
• needful
• impecunious
• beggared
• deprived
• necessitous
• famished
• bankrupt
• penniless
• down-and-out
• penurious
• poverty-stricken
• dirt-poor
• depressed
• pauperized
• beggarly
• disadvantaged
• hard up
• underprivileged
• out of pocket
• bankrupted
• threadbare
• out at elbows
• skint
• distressed
• dispossessed
• down on one's luck
• ruined
• unaffluent
• insolvent
• bust
• pinched
• reduced
• cash-strapped
• short
• straitened
• poorish
• possessionless
• hardscrabble
• hand-to-mouth
• low
• tapped out

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• wealthy
• rich
• affluent
• well-to-do
• moneyed
• fat
• opulent
• flush
• well-off
• comfortable
• prosperous
• well-heeled
• fat-cat
• deep-pocketed
• silk-stocking

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of needy

At stake are hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to help some of the region’s neediest residents. — David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026

If Freeling were to win the left tackle job for Week 1, the Panthers could consider trading Walker to a tackle-needy team with Christensen available for depth behind the rookie. — Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 17 July 2026

Operated by New Hope CORPS, the former hotel provides housing and social services to needy seniors. — Miami Herald, 1 July 2026

The oldest, a daughter, has always been needy and played the victim. — R. Eric Thomas, Washington Post, 1 July 2026