insolvent
Americanadjective
-
not solvent; unable to satisfy creditors or discharge liabilities, either because liabilities exceed assets or because of inability to pay debts as they mature.
- Synonyms:
- bankrupt, impoverished, destitute, penniless
-
pertaining to bankrupt persons or bankruptcy.
noun
adjective
-
(of a person, company, etc) having insufficient assets to meet debts and liabilities; bankrupt
-
of or relating to bankrupts or bankruptcy
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of insolvent
Explanation
Piggy bank empty? Nothing but lint in your pockets? Then you're probably unable to meet any financial obligations. In other words, you are insolvent. Being insolvent isn't just about being poor. A person or business that's insolvent has no resources, no assets and no way to pay any of the bills. This adjective insolvent is a synonym for bankrupt, and surely the last thing anyone wants to be. The only way to solve the problem of insolvency? Start saving your pennies again from scratch.
Vocabulary lists containing insolvent
100 SAT Words Beginning with "I"
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Broke-abulary: Synonyms for "Poor"
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Dwight D. Eisenhower, "The Military-Industrial Complex" (1961)
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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.
Insolvent usually describes a business or individual that can’t pay its debts as they come due.
From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026
Insolvent companies in Germany are subject to the bankruptcy law in the same manner as natural persons.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 7 "Columbus" to "Condottiere" by Various
Mrs. Micawber informed David that “her family had decided that Mr. Micawber should apply for his release under the Insolvent Debtors’ Act, which would set him free, she expected, in about six weeks.”
From In Jail with Charles Dickens by Trumble, Alfred
The records of the Insolvent Court of one city show that, in five years, two hundred thousand dollars were lost by dealing in lottery tickets.
From The Abominations of Modern Society by Talmage, T. De Witt (Thomas De Witt)
The Olympic was contiguous to the Insolvent Debtors' Court, in Portugal Street, and from the paint-pots of the Olympic scene-room to the whitewash of the commercial tribunal there was but one step.
From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 13, No. 80, June, 1864 by Various
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.
