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destitute

[ des-ti-toot, -tyoot ]
/ ˈdɛs tɪˌtut, -ˌtyut /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR destitute ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

without means of subsistence; lacking food, clothing, and shelter.
deprived of, devoid of, or lacking (often followed by of): destitute of children.

verb (used with object), des·ti·tut·ed, des·ti·tut·ing.

to leave destitute.

Words related to destitute

poor, strapped, poverty-stricken, penniless, needy, exhausted, insolvent, impoverished, indigent, bankrupt, bereft, deficient, drained, empty, flat, impecunious, lacking, penurious, stony, stripped

Words nearby destitute

desterro, destination, destine, destined, destiny, destitute, destitution, destock, destool, destrier, destroy

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

OTHER WORDS FROM destitute

des·ti·tute·ly, adverbdes·ti·tute·ness, nounpre·des·ti·tute, adjectiveun·des·ti·tute, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for destitute

British Dictionary definitions for destitute

destitute
/ (ˈdɛstɪˌtjuːt) /

adjective

lacking the means of subsistence; totally impoverished
(postpositive foll by of) completely lacking; deprived or bereft (of)destitute of words
obsolete abandoned or deserted

Derived forms of destitute

destituteness, noun

Word Origin for destitute

C14: from Latin dēstitūtus forsaken, from dēstituere to leave alone, from statuere to place
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012