Synonyms of poor

poor

adjective

ˈpu̇r 

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

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

2

as in desolate

producing inferior or only a small amount of vegetation

land that is too poor for farming

Synonyms & Similar Words

• impoverished
• desolate
• barren
• bleak
• waste
• unproductive
• bony
• infertile
• unfertile
• hardscrabble
• stark
• dry
• dead
• boney
• desert
• thirsty
• inhospitable
• lifeless
• exhausted
• reduced
• diminished
• drained
• depleted
• enfeebled
• debilitated
• consumed
• uncultivable
• untillable
• spent
• arid
• droughty
• lessened
• dehydrated
• waterless
• expended
• bankrupted
• sere
• rainless
• baked
• sear
• parched
• dried-up
• sunbaked
• used up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rich
• productive
• fertile
• fruitful
• lush
• luxuriant
• arable
• green
• tillable
• verdant
• sylvan

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

• scarce
• sparse
• meagre
• meager
• lowest
• lacking
• inadequate
• skimpy
• insufficient
• scanty
• small
• stingy
• scant
• light
• sparing
• slender
• short
• spare
• exiguous
• minimal
• deficient
• hand-to-mouth
• mere
• slim
• thin on the ground
• niggardly
• skimp
• thin
• least
• wanting
• slightest
• littlest
• bare-bones
• unproductive
• sterile
• bare
• unfruitful
• slight
• infertile
• barren

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• adequate
• liberal
• sufficient
• generous
• abundant
• satisfactory
• plentiful
• ample
• rich
• enough
• copious
• bountiful
• tolerable
• fat
• fertile
• prolific
• fruitful
• plenteous
• lavish
• extra
• excess
• bursting
• flourishing
• luxuriant
• fecund
• thriving
• proliferative
• surplus
• teeming
• blooming
• swarming

4

as in unacceptable

falling short of a standard

a pretty poor musician, even for a garage band

Synonyms & Similar Words

• unacceptable
• wrong
• lame
• bad
• deficient
• terrible
• horrible
• awful
• pathetic
• flawed
• wretched
• disastrous
• unsatisfactory
• bastard
• suboptimal
• dreadful
• crummy
• substandard
• lousy
• brutal
• lacking
• ill
• inferior
• inadequate
• subpar
• sour
• from hunger
• wanting
• paltry
• off
• rotten
• defective
• crumby
• dissatisfactory
• miserable
• bush
• insufficient
• abysmal
• useless
• punk
• short
• under par
• wack
• worthless
• gross
• deplorable
• below par
• atrocious
• bush-league
• horrendous
• shoddy
• mediocre
• common
• lesser
• damnable
• detestable
• stinky
• faulty
• unspeakable
• vile
• crappy
• execrable
• sucky
• egregious
• abominable
• meager
• bum
• low-rent
• odious
• meagre
• gnarly
• low-grade
• shabby
• reprehensible
• flagrant
• miserly
• coarse
• trashy
• second-rate
• skimpy
• sleazy
• cheesy
• rubbishy
• stingy
• valueless
• scanty
• bitchin'
• junky
• villainous
• mean
• scurrilous
• spare
• miscreant
• fake
• cut-rate
• counterfeit
• niggardly
• sham
• phony
• phoney
• skimp

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• adequate
• satisfactory
• acceptable
• decent
• standard
• fine
• okay
• excellent
• great
• respectable
• all right
• tolerable
• better
• passable
• OK
• superior
• wonderful
• perfect
• classical
• splendid
• classic
• superb
• noble
• terrific
• special
• sufficient
• prime
• divine
• marvelous
• marvellous
• stellar
• fabulous
• top
• exceptional
• neat
• mean
• heavenly
• choice
• first-class
• superlative
• average
• par excellence
• keen
• sensational
• dandy
• grand
• fancy
• swell
• sterling
• mediocre
• premium
• minimal
• unsurpassed
• slick
• capital
• nifty
• banner
• boss
• fair
• suitable
• useful
• middling
• high-grade
• worthy
• A1
• first-rate
• top-notch
• borderline
• groovy
• high-test
• crackerjack
• tip-top
• supernal
• satisfying
• bang-up
• unexceptional
• so-so
• jim-dandy
• gratifying

5

as in terrible

of low quality

the poor workmanship of the goods from that store

Synonyms & Similar Words

• terrible
• cheap
• inferior
• bad
• rotten
• coarse
• common
• wretched
• worthless
• miserable
• shoddy
• mediocre
• useless
• lousy
• crappy
• bum
• rubbishy
• low-rent
• low-grade
• execrable
• trashy
• junky
• second-rate
• sleazy
• cheesy
• counterfeit
• fake
• cheapjack
• shlocky
• schlocky
• lackluster
• trumpery
• cut-rate
• gimcrack
• indifferent
• shlock
• schlock
• bargain-basement
• valueless
• el cheapo
• shabby
• second-class
• swanky
• tawdry
• gaudy
• showy
• meretricious
• flashy
• garish
• glitzy
• ostentatious
• kitschy
• swank
• seedy
• tacky
• kitsch
• sham
• splashy
• phony
• phoney
• ultracheap
• brummagem
• supercheap

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• good
• excellent
• superior
• fine
• first-class
• high-grade
• handsome
• elegant
• first-rate
• top-notch
• tasteful
• refined
• polished
• handcrafted

6

as in pitiful

deserving of one's pity

aw, the poor kitten hurt its paw

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pitiful
• pathetic
• miserable
• wretched
• sorry
• horrible
• terrible
• sad
• pitiable
• disturbing
• piteous
• impressive
• awful
• deplorable
• emotional
• heartbreaking
• lamentable
• regrettable
• rueful
• mournful
• inspiring
• heartrending
• distressing
• moving
• poignant
• affecting
• touching
• sorrowful
• stirring
• woeful
• upsetting
• grievous

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unimpressive
• uninspiring

Try This Instead

For

Try This

poor quality

lousy quality

inadequate quality

low quality

terrible quality

awful quality

a poor judgment

an unwise judgment

a lousy judgment

a questionable judgment

a horrible judgment

an improper judgment

a poor performance

a weak performance

an unacceptable performance

a negative performance

an inadequate performance

a horrendous performance

a poor condition

a deteriorated condition

a shabby condition

a sub-par condition

a shoddy condition

a pitiful condition

poor nutrition

unbalanced nutrition

improper nutrition

deficient nutrition

unhealthy nutrition

insufficient nutrition

Examples of poor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Observers have speculated that promoter Live Nation actually scrapped the shows due to poor ticket sales. —Spin Staff, SPIN, 1 Oct. 2024

Nationwide, poor, Black and Hispanic students are less likely to have air conditioning both at school and at home than their wealthier, white peers. —Joan Meiners and Katie Worth, The Arizona Republic, 1 Oct. 2024

Meanwhile, some say the traps are unfair, especially in poorer neighborhoods. —Anna Spiegel, Axios, 1 Oct. 2024

Meanwhile, rising inequalities have widened the health gap between the richest and poorest. —Katherine Hignett, Forbes, 13 Sep. 2024