as in impoverished
lacking money or material possessions
those generous souls who regularly give money and donate clothes to help the needy
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Recent Examples of needy
The backstory The original estate goes back to 1912, when the Tudor-style mansion was built for Walter Ladd and his heiress wife, socialite/philanthropist Kate Macy Ladd, who soon opened a convalescent facility on the estate for sick and needy women.
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Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 May 2026
There’s certainly one obvious potential fit in goalie-needy Edmonton, where Cossa played his junior hockey, but with how hard legit goalie prospects are to find, the list of potential suitors should also be longer than that if that’s the route Detroit takes.
—Max Bultman, New York Times, 13 May 2026
After spending decades helping needy people, Basden is now herself in need.
—Tovia Smith, NPR, 7 May 2026
This plant flowers year-round and, like all abutilon cultivars, is not water needy.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for needy
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 May 2026
There’s certainly one obvious potential fit in goalie-needy Edmonton, where Cossa played his junior hockey, but with how hard legit goalie prospects are to find, the list of potential suitors should also be longer than that if that’s the route Detroit takes.
—Max Bultman, New York Times, 13 May 2026
After spending decades helping needy people, Basden is now herself in need.
—Tovia Smith, NPR, 7 May 2026
This plant flowers year-round and, like all abutilon cultivars, is not water needy.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for needy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for needy
Adjective
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Rural Cuba was profoundly impoverished and underdeveloped before and during the Batista era, and land ownership was scant among the working poor.—
Max Saltman,
CNN Money,
4 June 2026
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So much for bringing the experience of art to culturally impoverished Butte.—
Jonathan Franzen,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
Adjective
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Common travel regrets stem from preventable issues like poor planning, budget problems, and choosing the wrong companions.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
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O’Farrell’s inclination for narratives propelled by brutal coincidence and fatally poor timing tenders a Hardy-esque vision of the world, one that emphasizes the rigid, often cruel limits of an individual’s jurisdiction over the course of their life.—
Rachel Vorona Cote,
Vulture,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Needy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/needy. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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