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
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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
In the memoir, Donovan confronts the origins of his mental health issues, talks about growing up poor in a 900-square-foot home managed heroically by his single mother, Donna, and how even his greatest successes on the field left him unfulfilled.
—
Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
The state Office of Performance Evaluations cited poor funding as a major problem.
—Audrey Dutton, ProPublica, 24 Mar. 2026
That's what led to a poor decision at the time.
—CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
Slowing wage gains have contributed to the widening gap between rich and poor.
—Shannon Pettypiece, NBC news, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for poor
Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
The state Office of Performance Evaluations cited poor funding as a major problem.
—Audrey Dutton, ProPublica, 24 Mar. 2026
That's what led to a poor decision at the time.
—CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
Slowing wage gains have contributed to the widening gap between rich and poor.
—Shannon Pettypiece, NBC news, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for poor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poor
Adjective
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Surrounded by some of the most diverse and impoverished neighborhoods, White Stadium has long been a refuge for residents to take morning walks, play high school sports, see concerts, attend rallies, or send their children to summer camps.—
Riley Rourke,
CBS News,
14 Mar. 2026
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Centuries of penal laws had left Catholics as impoverished tenant farmers, while Protestants – wealthier and less reliant on the crop – had greater resources to survive.—
Paula Kane,
The Conversation,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Overall, the museum’s collection which once held 150,000 artifacts attributed to periods of Sudanese history as far back as the Stone Age has now been left desolate.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
17 Mar. 2026
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His work can be gritty, like an act of discovery, as his camera pops in and out of shadows, through desolate, post-apocalyptic shops and office buildings.—
Heide Janssen,
Oc Register,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Contrary to what their name suggests, rare earths are not actually scarce in nature.—
Brit McCandless Farmer,
CBS News,
22 Mar. 2026
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Oil prices would continue to soar, while fertilizer, generic drugs, helium and other products dependent on the strait would grow scarce, squeezing the American economy and world economy alike.—
Nicholas D. Kristof,
Mercury News,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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As an occasional problem, this would merit a Disapproving Frown — which, for the record, is one step up from a Cold Stare, one step down from a Glare, and at least one step down from yelling, which is unacceptable.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
18 Mar. 2026
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That the tax sale system is unacceptable.—
A.D. Quig,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Even if the football this summer is terrible, plenty of the teams are going to look great.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
20 Mar. 2026
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In the 1970s-1980s, all the agricultural talk in the Mississippi Delta was whether the boll weevil would be terrible or just awful this coming fall.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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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
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Granted, those three performances were pitiful.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The first stretch of the movie is strong, with Kenna, who is too broke for a car or even a phone, hoofing it around town in search of any job willing to hire a broke girl with a criminal record.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
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New legislation was intended to limit this, but in 1998, the Fed stepped in when a hedge fund, Long Term Capital Management, went broke.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
1 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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But recreational hikes still turn into instructional moments for Krebs, who stands maybe 5 feet 3 inches and could make a living off 100 barren miles of lava rock and lizards.—
Andrew McKean,
Outdoor Life,
19 Mar. 2026
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Don’t trample or pick the flowers and stay on the paths because even barren ground could have seeds germinating beneath.—
Jessie Schiewe,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Poor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poor. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
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