destitute
Americanadjective
-
without means of subsistence; lacking food, clothing, and shelter.
- Synonyms:
- impoverished, penniless, necessitous, indigent, poor, needy
- Antonyms:
- affluent
-
deprived of, devoid of, or lacking (often followed byof ).
destitute of children.
- Synonyms:
- deficient
verb (used with object)
adjective
-
lacking the means of subsistence; totally impoverished
-
completely lacking; deprived or bereft (of)
destitute of words
-
obsolete abandoned or deserted
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of destitute
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin dēstitūtus (past participle of dēstituere to abandon, deprive of support), equivalent to dē- de- + stit- place, put (combining form of statuere; see statute) + -ū- thematic vowel + -tus past participle suffix
Explanation
When you think of the word destitute, which means poor or lacking other necessities of life, think of someone who is in desperate straits. A very, very tight budget is poor. Living on the streets is destitute. Destitute essentially means not having something. When you're destitute in the sense of being poor, you're technically "destitute of money." You can be destitute of other things as well. If all your friends have abandoned you, you're "destitute of friends." If you are applying for a job as a waitress but have never worked in a restaurant in any capacity, you're "destitute of experience."
Vocabulary lists containing destitute
A Christmas Carol
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Hamilton
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Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“We have a socioeconomic problem in Rio de Janeiro—we have very wealthy people, and we have very destitute people,” Moscatelli says.
From Slate • May 27, 2026
Are there habits from those early days as a destitute young woman that you haven’t fully shed?
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026
Or maybe you worry that if the attorney exploits your relative and leaves them destitute, the rightful heirs will inherit little.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 3, 2026
Roughly 40–45% of giving flows to religious organisations, with a comparable share directed to beggars and destitute people, especially in urban areas.
From BBC • Feb. 19, 2026
Returning to Kabul was like running into an old, forgotten friend and seeing that life hadn’t been good to him, that he'd become homeless and destitute.
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
