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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rich
• wealthy
• affluent
• fat
• well-to-do
• opulent
• moneyed
• 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
• desert
• thirsty
• inhospitable
• lifeless
• exhausted
• reduced
• diminished
• drained
• enfeebled
• depleted
• debilitated
• consumed
• uncultivable
• untillable
• spent
• arid
• droughty
• lessened
• dehydrated
• waterless
• expended
• bankrupted
• sere
• baked
• rainless
• 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
• meager
• lowest
• lacking
• inadequate
• skimpy
• insufficient
• scanty
• stingy
• small
• scant
• light
• sparing
• slender
• spare
• short
• exiguous
• minimal
• hand-to-mouth
• deficient
• mere
• slim
• thin on the ground
• skimp
• thin
• least
• wanting
• slightest
• littlest
• bare-bones
• unproductive
• sterile
• bare
• unfruitful
• infertile
• slight
• 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
• terrible
• deficient
• horrible
• awful
• pathetic
• flawed
• wretched
• disastrous
• unsatisfactory
• bastard
• suboptimal
• inferior
• crummy
• dreadful
• substandard
• lousy
• brutal
• lacking
• inadequate
• ill
• subpar
• sour
• from hunger
• wanting
• paltry
• off
• rotten
• defective
• insufficient
• dissatisfactory
• bush
• miserable
• punk
• abysmal
• wack
• useless
• short
• below par
• deplorable
• worthless
• gross
• atrocious
• bush-league
• horrendous
• shoddy
• mediocre
• lesser
• common
• damnable
• detestable
• stinky
• faulty
• unspeakable
• crappy
• execrable
• vile
• sucky
• egregious
• abominable
• meager
• bum
• low-rent
• odious
• gnarly
• low-grade
• shabby
• reprehensible
• flagrant
• miserly
• coarse
• trashy
• second-rate
• skimpy
• sleazy
• rubbishy
• cheesy
• stingy
• valueless
• scanty
• bitchin'
• junky
• villainous
• scurrilous
• spare
• mean
• cut-rate
• fake
• counterfeit
• miscreant
• sham
• phony
• skimp

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• adequate
• satisfactory
• acceptable
• decent
• standard
• fine
• excellent
• great
• respectable
• all right
• tolerable
• better
• passable
• OK
• superior
• wonderful
• perfect
• classical
• splendid
• classic
• superb
• noble
• terrific
• special
• sufficient
• prime
• divine
• marvelous
• 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
• shoddy
• miserable
• worthless
• mediocre
• lousy
• useless
• crappy
• bum
• low-rent
• low-grade
• execrable
• trashy
• second-rate
• sleazy
• cheesy
• rubbishy
• counterfeit
• junky
• fake
• cheapjack
• lackluster
• trumpery
• cut-rate
• gimcrack
• indifferent
• schlock
• bargain-basement
• valueless
• el cheapo
• shabby
• second-class
• tawdry
• gaudy
• showy
• meretricious
• flashy
• garish
• glitzy
• ostentatious
• kitschy
• swank
• seedy
• tacky
• kitsch
• splashy
• sham
• phony
• 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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of poor

The authority also noted that this is the largest fine it’s ever levied against a company for poor data practices. — Alan Henry, PC Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026

These mistakes may indicate poor controls, training or processes, raising concerns about how responsibly personal data is managed. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026

His campaign has raised concerns about low state academic performance ratings and poor student attendance, along with the closure of Winston Intermediate School of Excellence and Wrenn Middle School in 2024. — Sophia Veneziano, San Antonio Express-News, 16 Oct. 2026

The settlement comes after a scathing 2024 DOJ report said the Lexington Police Department routinely violated citizens' civil rights in the rural, poor, majority-Black city located about 65 miles (100 kilometers) north of the state's capital. — ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026