noun
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the state of being destitute; utter poverty
-
rare lack or deficiency
Usage
What are other ways to say destitution? Destitution is utter poverty or the lack of the means of subsistence. How does this noun compare to synonyms poverty and indigence? Learn more on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of destitution
1400–50; late Middle English < Latin dēstitūtiōn- (stem of dēstitūtiō ) an abandoning, equivalent to dēstitūt ( us ) ( see destitute) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
Destitution is an unfortunate state in which a person lacks something important — like money, food, companionship, or even hope. Everyone is down on their luck sometimes. Most people will get seriously sick at some point, lose a job, or have a marriage fall apart. However, most people won't fall into destitution, which is a truly hopeless state. Homeless people are in a state of destitution. People starving or without medical care are in a state of destitution. If someone is in a state of destitution, he is experiencing utter despair.
Vocabulary lists containing destitution
The Cuckoo's Calling
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Orphan Train
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The Count of Monte Cristo
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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.
The soot-blackened Philadelphia he encountered, then in a state of urban decay, sparked his lifelong fascination with industrialism, destitution and the macabre.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
The destitution they are now facing in Ceuta is a new experience for them, but they say the hardship is worth it for the chance at entering Europe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Some attribute this situation to so-called disaster opportunism but others point to the hunger and destitution of those who have lost everything in a country already in chronic crisis before the quakes.
From Barron's ● Jun. 28, 2026
The destitution will not just be political and moral, it will be economic too.
From Salon ● May 29, 2025
His next known movement was in 1786 when, abruptly and mysteriously, he turned up in Philadelphia with his wife and eight children, apparently on the verge of destitution.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
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.
