poverty

American  

[pov-er-tee] / ˈpɒv ər ti /

noun

1. the state or condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support; condition of being poor.

   Synonyms:

   penury, pauperism, indigence, destitution, neediness, privation

   Antonyms:

   affluence, wealth, riches

2. deficiency of necessary or desirable ingredients, qualities, etc..

   poverty of the soil.

   Synonyms:

   insufficiency

3. scantiness; insufficiency.

   Their efforts to stamp out disease were hampered by a poverty of medical supplies.

   Synonyms:

   dearth, paucity, shortage, inadequacy

   Antonyms:

   sufficiency, surfeit, abundance, glut, excess

---

poverty British  

/ ˈpɒvətɪ /

noun

1. the condition of being without adequate food, money, etc

2. scarcity or dearth

   a poverty of wit

3. a lack of elements conducive to fertility in land or soil

---

Usage

What are other ways to say poverty? Poverty refers to the state or condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support. How does this noun compare to synonyms destitution and indigence? Learn more on Thesaurus.com.

Etymology

Origin of poverty

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English poverte, from Old French, from Latin paupertāt- (stem of paupertās ) “small means, moderate circumstances.”; see pauper, -ty ²

Explanation

Families who live in poverty have a hard time getting enough food to eat. "The loss of jobs in the area led to increased poverty." "The poverty rate is the percent of people who live in poverty in a geographic area." In the US, the government pays careful attention to how many citizens are living above and below the poverty level, which is defined by a certain maximum level of income. Poverty can also mean the lack of an important quality besides having enough money to live comfortably. For the last five years, David's sister has given him a pair of socks for his birthday. David believes this reflects the poverty of her imagination.

Example Sentences

Edmond Albius devised the hand-pollination technique that made vanilla cultivation commercially viable; he died in poverty after emancipation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026

Grimes, originally from East London, said he came from a low income family and had experience of food poverty.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

The burden placed on these family members and friends means they can’t build their own wealth and are more likely to be in poverty in their own later retirements, Forden said.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026

The needy can also ask for clothing at 523 Amazor street in the Buenos Aires suburb of Fiorito, where the player dubbed Argentina's "Golden Boy" grew up in grinding poverty.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

It was gratifying to be able, finally, to address some of these issues through our new project and to articulate the challenges created by racial history and structural poverty.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

Related Words

• bankruptcy
• debt
• deficit
• difficulty
• famine
• hardship
• lack
• scarcity
• shortage
• starvation
• underdevelopment