destitute

American  

[des-ti-toot, -tyoot] / ˈdɛs tɪˌtut, -ˌtyut /

adjective

1. without means of subsistence; lacking food, clothing, and shelter.

   Synonyms:

   impoverished, penniless, necessitous, indigent, poor, needy

   Antonyms:

   affluent

2. deprived of, devoid of, or lacking (often followed byof ).

   destitute of children.

   Synonyms:

   deficient

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verb (used with object)

destituted, destituting

1. to leave destitute.

destitute British  

/ ˈdɛstɪˌtjuːt /

adjective

1. lacking the means of subsistence; totally impoverished

2. completely lacking; deprived or bereft (of)

   destitute of words

3. obsolete abandoned or deserted

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Other Word Forms

• destitutely
  adverb
• destituteness
  noun
• predestitute
  adjective
• undestitute
  adjective

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."

Example Sentences

Destitute, he made his home in a pithos, or giant clay pot, using his cloak in place of a bed.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 17, 2025

Destitute farmers moved from Oklahoma and adjacent states to the San Joaquin Valley.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 7, 2023

But not all children in need were sent to the Home for Destitute Children.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 28, 2022

Destitute and facing eviction, her daughter gave birth to her third child.

From New York Times • Oct. 23, 2021

Destitute of an axe, they would have to make a camp where they could find fuel, and they scattered to look for it.

From Northern Diamonds by Pollock, Frank Lillie

Related Words

• bankrupt
• exhausted
• impoverished
• indigent
• insolvent
• needy
• penniless
• poor
• poverty-stricken
• strapped