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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in desolate
producing inferior or only a small amount of vegetation
land that is too poor for farming
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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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4
as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard
a pretty poor musician, even for a garage band
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5
as in terrible
of low quality
the poor workmanship of the goods from that store
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6
as in pitiful
deserving of one's pity
aw, the poor kitten hurt its paw
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of poor
Connecticut already has one of the largest income tax credits for the working poor, Fazio added, complemented by a healthy social services safety net.
—
Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 10 Mar. 2026
With Fire and Ash, Cameron retreads a lot of the same ground, from the fraught father-son relationship between Quaritch and Spider to the plight of poor Payakan, still the outcast space whale.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2026
The conflict is driving up energy and fertilizer prices; threatening food shortages in poor countries; destabilizing fragile states such as Pakistan; and complicating options for the inflation fighters at central banks like the Federal Reserve.
—Paul Wiseman, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
The final 15 minutes took me into the middle of nowhere with poor cell coverage.
—Rosecrans Baldwin, Travel + Leisure, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for poor
Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 10 Mar. 2026
With Fire and Ash, Cameron retreads a lot of the same ground, from the fraught father-son relationship between Quaritch and Spider to the plight of poor Payakan, still the outcast space whale.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2026
The conflict is driving up energy and fertilizer prices; threatening food shortages in poor countries; destabilizing fragile states such as Pakistan; and complicating options for the inflation fighters at central banks like the Federal Reserve.
—Paul Wiseman, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
The final 15 minutes took me into the middle of nowhere with poor cell coverage.
—Rosecrans Baldwin, Travel + Leisure, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for poor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poor
Adjective
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Salt was another luxury for the impoverished migrants.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Mar. 2026
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Cinema-going culture has struggled to take hold in much of South Africa, particularly in townships and other impoverished communities, prompting the organizers to focus on building that culture in the next generation of South African moviegoers and filmmakers.—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Instead, adventurous beachgoers can check out the remains of hundreds of shipwrecks, lodged in the desolate sand.—
Melanie van Zyl,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Mar. 2026
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Your character is a shape-shifting Ditto, and you’ve been dropped in a desolate landscape.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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When the price of something scarce—concert tickets, Saturday night tables, theme park rides—is set far below what the market would naturally bear, the scarcity doesn’t disappear.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
8 Mar. 2026
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Ukraine is hoping to trade that know-how for scarce Patriot missiles.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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There have also been reports that some migrants are being held at the processing center longer than ICE policy allows, something Veasey called unacceptable.—
Marissa Armas,
CBS News,
10 Mar. 2026
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Government actions have an important symbolic value and show that authorities deem violence against women unacceptable, said Isadora Vianna, a sociology researcher from Rio de Janeiro State University.—
Eléonore Hughes,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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As compiled by Gnostics, who consider the material world to be a fundamentally terrible place.—
Jay Martel,
New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2026
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The Astros’ young second baseman, Jose Altuve, was making waves, Fisher remembered, yet the club still looked terrible.—
Evan Drellich,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Gallup reached only 50,000 people, a pitiful fraction of The Literary Digest’s awe-inspiring mailbag.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
21 Feb. 2026
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Mercy came via a bye week, the pitiful Raiders and an inept Cowboys defense.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Jan. 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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Subjecting them to extreme conditions–from the 14,000-foot ascent of Pikes Peak to the barren deserts of the Rebelle Rally.—
Joel Feder,
The Drive,
27 Feb. 2026
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These include wintergreen, golden star (Chrysogonum virginianum), and barren strawberry.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Poor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poor. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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