destitution

[des-ti-too-shuhn, -tyoo-]

noun

1. lack of the means of subsistence; utter poverty.

   Antonyms: wealth, affluence

2. deprivation, lack, or absence.

destitution

/ ˌdɛstɪˈtjuːʃən /

noun

1. the state of being destitute; utter poverty

2. rare,  lack or deficiency

Other Word Forms

• predestitution noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of destitution¹

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin dēstitūtiōn- (stem of dēstitūtiō ) an abandoning, equivalent to dēstitūt ( us ) ( destitute ) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

The UN-backed body said more than half a million people across Gaza were facing "catastrophic" conditions characterised by "starvation, destitution and death".

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Launching the first legal challenge against the deal in the High Court in London, his lawyers argued that there was a "real risk of destitution" if he was deported to France.

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Last week a UN-backed hunger monitor said there was now famine in Gaza City and that more than 500,000 people in Gaza were facing "starvation, destitution and death".

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The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification said more than half a million people were facing "catastrophic" conditions characterised by "starvation, destitution and death".

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The IPC report says that it has found that people living in the Gaza City area are experiencing famine conditions of "starvation, destitution, and death".

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When To Use

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.