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
• low
• bust
• 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

Marketers are paying overage penalties for their own poor data hygiene at rates the vendor set. — Neerav Vyas, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026

The epicenter was in Chocó, one of Colombia's poorest regions and where at least 3,100 homes were destroyed and over 265 educational sites affected, according to the regional government latest report Monday. — ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026

The typical victims are old, poor, and socially isolated residents of disadvantaged areas, making heat waves invisible killers of people largely invisible in public life. — Eric Klinenberg, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026

Stokes was scared to be seen in public talking about the case, worried about poor treatment from law enforcement and the potential for retribution. — CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026