1
as in impoverished
lacking money or material possessions
every year, we make up a basket of food at Thanksgiving for a poor family in the neighborhood
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in desolate
producing inferior or only a small amount of vegetation
land that is too poor for farming
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in scarce
less plentiful than what is normal, necessary, or desirable
a poor crop because of the drought this year
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard
a pretty poor musician, even for a garage band
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in terrible
of low quality
the poor workmanship of the goods from that store
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in pitiful
deserving of one's pity
aw, the poor kitten hurt its paw
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of poor
No serum can fully outdo poor sleep or chronic stress.
—
Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2026
Lifestyle Matters More Than Ever No product can fully compensate for poor habits, and in your 40s, lifestyle factors show up on your skin more than ever.
—Kansas City Star, 7 Apr. 2026
But after economic crises, Orbán came to power by promising prosperity to the rich and poor alike, said Gábor Scheiring, a former Hungarian lawmaker now teaching at Georgetown University in Qatar.
—ABC News, 6 Apr. 2026
Cassettes tapes have long been cheap and abundant at thrift stores, though possibly barely playable due to poor storage or handling.
—Shirl Leigh
april 06, New Atlas, 6 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for poor
Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2026
Lifestyle Matters More Than Ever No product can fully compensate for poor habits, and in your 40s, lifestyle factors show up on your skin more than ever.
—Kansas City Star, 7 Apr. 2026
But after economic crises, Orbán came to power by promising prosperity to the rich and poor alike, said Gábor Scheiring, a former Hungarian lawmaker now teaching at Georgetown University in Qatar.
—ABC News, 6 Apr. 2026
Cassettes tapes have long been cheap and abundant at thrift stores, though possibly barely playable due to poor storage or handling.
—Shirl Leigh
april 06, New Atlas, 6 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for poor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poor
Adjective
-
In Raspail’s tale, hordes of impoverished and dark-skinned brutes from India descend onto French shores by way of rafts, the first wave of an invasion of the civilized West by the brown-skinned developing world.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Apr. 2026
-
The youngsters took the train south to the deep, impoverished heart of China.—
Michael Sheridan,
Vanity Fair,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
And that’s become a background topic this week, how a once-sumptuous secondary ticket market has become desolate.—
Gabriel Burns,
AJC.com,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Eastern New Mexico — dry, desolate — looks and feels very much like an appendage of West Texas.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
But competition for scarce goods is only half the story.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
12 Apr. 2026
-
The conflict in Iran has caused oil prices in Haiti to surge, disrupting critical supply chains, doubling transportation costs and forcing millions of undernourished people to cut back on already scarce meals.—
Evens Sanon,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Killing dogs in the street became increasingly unacceptable, and rabies vaccines became available.—
Rachel Sugar,
Curbed,
8 Apr. 2026
-
To Hafley, that’s unacceptable.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
At that point, something terrible, something on the scale of the Maidan protests in Ukraine in 2014, is not inconceivable.—
Kapil Komireddi,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Between some horrendous screw-ups, terrible decision-making, and some plain old bad luck, their situation, and that of their mother, Linda Morelli (Laurie Metcalf), who is running for mayor, only gets worse.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Most of the time, experts say, vaguebooking boils down to a pitiful plea for attention on the part of the poster.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
9 Apr. 2026
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Given that California ranks a pitiful 49th in the nation in the condition, safety and costs of roads and bridges, according to the Reason Foundation’s 2025 Annual Highway Report, taxpayers’ transportation dollars would likely be better spent elsewhere.—
Adam Summers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Such strong characterizations and go-for-broke performances, especially among the women, make up for some decidedly contrived plotting.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
9 Apr. 2026
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In a recent interview, Case explained that she was functionally broke—no streaming income, no touring revenue during COVID, no way to keep the wheel turning.—
Elizabeth Nelson,
Pitchfork,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
It cannot be maintained in such barren ground.—
David B Mcgarry,
Oc Register,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Haggerty noted what the Artemis crew saw on the moon’s surface, including steep canyon walls and barren wasteland.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Poor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poor. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
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