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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Try This Instead
Try This InsteadFor
Try This
poor 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
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of poor
For example, when a company pivots, a poor communicator’s vague memo creates fear.
—
Lori Huss, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
Due to poor cell reception in the area, 911 calls kept dropping as witnesses scrambled to reach first responders.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 17 June 2025
In past decades, this stage was easy to spot: clashing colors, poor makeup attempts, and wardrobes inspired by favorite TV stars.
—Dia Gallo, Parents, 17 June 2025
But a large new study found that a father’s poor mental health also could harm his kids’ development.
—Daniel Wine, CNN Money, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for poor
Lori Huss, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
Due to poor cell reception in the area, 911 calls kept dropping as witnesses scrambled to reach first responders.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 17 June 2025
In past decades, this stage was easy to spot: clashing colors, poor makeup attempts, and wardrobes inspired by favorite TV stars.
—Dia Gallo, Parents, 17 June 2025
But a large new study found that a father’s poor mental health also could harm his kids’ development.
—Daniel Wine, CNN Money, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for poor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poor
Adjective
-
In Zimbabwe, the Catholic Church operates about 100 schools, ranging from dozens in impoverished areas where annual tuition is as low as $150 to elite boarding schools that can charge thousands of dollars.—
Rodney Muhumuza,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2025
-
Some government functions were eviscerated, such as the U.S. Agency for International Development, which had provided a lifeline for impoverished people around the world.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 May 2025
Adjective
-
When The Last of Us premiered back in 2023, there was massive chatter surrounding Pascal and his penchant for rescuing desolate children in TV shows.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
People.com,
25 May 2025
-
See a camera operator following Snook to a desolate corner?—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
21 May 2025
Adjective
-
That's key in a country where good-paying jobs are scarce.—
Omkar Khandekar,
NPR,
8 June 2025
-
Yet with the old rail factory at Qadam station in disrepair, the know-how to forge, repair, and maintain Ottoman rail is scarce.—
Taylor Luck,
Christian Science Monitor,
6 June 2025
Adjective
-
In April 2021, the European Commission proposed a draft of the Artificial Intelligence Act, aimed at introducing a system of AI classification based on risks to users (minimal, limited, high, unacceptable).—
Olena Orliuk,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
-
Anything less is unacceptable to the Bosteros, as Boca’s fans are known.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
16 June 2025
Adjective
-
And these are the same Oilers who, after a terrible 6-1 loss in Game 3 to the Panthers, overcame a three-goal deficit in Game 4 to even the series.—
Daniel Nugent-Bowman,
New York Times,
15 June 2025
-
For example, while the IRA rollback effort will inevitably mean a significant reduction in U.S. federal support for electric vehicles, nevertheless the adoption of EVs continued in Q1 even despite a terrible quarter for the U.S.’s leading brand (Tesla).—
Rob Day,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2025
Adjective
-
For better or worse, high-end eco-resorts of this type tend to focus on hyper-local ingredients often grown in a pitiful little garden behind the kitchen.—
Christopher Cameron,
Robb Report,
30 May 2025
-
From ’01 to ’20, the Knicks played in only 30 postseason games, posting a pitiful 9-21 record.—
Rohan Nadkarni,
NBC news,
18 May 2025
Adjective
-
Really, Song wants to know whether a sensible girl can justify shackling herself to a broke creative.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2025
-
Yet the city, which claims it is broke, spent money litigating this and even now is considering appealing this court’s common-sense ruling.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 June 2025
Adjective
-
For many of the faithful, the pilgrimage begins at a sacred mud volcano rising from the barren landscape near the Makran Coastal Highway.—
Zia ur-Rehman Asim Hafeez,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
-
The festival was deliberately planned for the barren weeks in June after college students left and before the summer concert and festival season kicked in.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
25 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Poor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poor. Accessed 22 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share