Synonym Chooser

How is the word poverty distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of poverty are destitution, indigence, penury, and want. While all these words mean "the state of one with insufficient resources," poverty may cover a range from extreme want of necessities to an absence of material comforts.

the extreme poverty of the slum dwellers

Where would indigence be a reasonable alternative to poverty?

Although the words indigence and poverty have much in common, indigence implies seriously straitened circumstances.

the indigence of her years as a graduate student

When would penury be a good substitute for poverty?

The words penury and poverty are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, penury suggests a cramping or oppressive lack of money.

a catastrophic illness that condemned them to years of penury

How do want and destitution relate to one another, in the sense of poverty?

Both want and destitution imply extreme poverty that threatens life itself through starvation or exposure.

lived in a perpetual state of want
the widespread destitution in countries beset by famine

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 poverty The timing was also critical, with the pro-Europe government lagging in polls amid a rise in poverty levels and a sharp decline in Moldova’s GDP. Tim Lister, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2025 In 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act, a pandemic relief law, temporarily increased the amount of the premium tax credit and expanded eligibility to households with an annual income of more than 400% of the federal poverty limit. Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2025 Apex’s poverty rate is the fifth-lowest among the roughly 1,300 cities analyzed. Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025 People seeking care may become targets of surveillance; entrenching existing patterns where disability, neurodivergence and poverty are not only criminalized— but now automated and scaled. Kate Caldwell, Mercury News, 30 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for poverty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poverty
Noun
  • The ongoing misery in Charlotte prompted a popular Panthers-centric podcast to throw in the towel.
    Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2025
  • But aid agencies say that Israel’s intensification of the war, particularly around Gaza City, has compounded the misery faced by Palestinians.
    Soph Warnes, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The federal government officially began a partial shutdown with no last-minute drama or shortage of finger-pointing from Democrats and Republicans, each of whom was content to blame the other for the impasse.
    Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 1 Oct. 2025
  • The outbreak was forcing a shortage of eggs as well, leading some grocers to restrict how many dozens of eggs consumers could buy per visit.
    Olivia Evans, Louisville Courier Journal, 1 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The unemployment rate for Gen Z is more than double the national rate, which means freelance work may be a necessity as much as a choice.
    Diane Brady, Fortune, 6 Oct. 2025
  • For decades, DeLodder said, hospitals have quelled the establishment of freestanding birthing centers by arguing against their necessity.
    Killian Baarlaer, Louisville Courier Journal, 3 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Youths frustrated at a social media ban, corruption and lack of economic opportunities coordinated mass protests via Discord that helped bring down the government.
    Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
  • If the shutdown drags on, the lack of government data could strain investors’ understanding of the health of the labor market and path of inflation at a time when stocks are historically expensive and vulnerable to a surprise.
    John Towfighi, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • In late August, the World Health Organization cited a new Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis that found more than half a million people in Gaza are trapped in famine, marked by widespread starvation, destitution and preventable deaths.
    Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2025
  • All that remains of the American Dream is the thin line between wealth and destitution.
    Andy Andersen, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Testosterone replacement therapy is designed to restore normal hormone levels in men with deficiency, not to boost or optimize performance, Munger noted.
    Shiv Sudhakar, FOXNews.com, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Rocha also has language deficiencies and has low cognitive functioning, testing with an IQ of 81 as a child, according to Reynolds.
    PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 3 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Two years after founding Huffington Post, Huffington collapsed from exhaustion and sleep deprivation.
    Eric Rosenbaum, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2025
  • Sensory deprivation training has become increasingly common over the past decade, particularly when Steph Curry popularized practicing with strobe goggles to disrupt his vision.
    Jared Weiss, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • But for the millions of people bearing the brunt of housing deficits and the global housing mismatch, this sounds like a promising approach to partially tackling these issues.
    Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 30 Sep. 2025
  • But a week later, Army finished what North Dakota couldn’t, rallying from a 13-0 deficit for a 24-21 road win.
    David Ubben, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Poverty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poverty. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.

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