destitute
Americanadjective
-
without means of subsistence; lacking food, clothing, and shelter.
- Synonyms:
- impoverished, penniless, necessitous, indigent, poor, needy
- Antonyms:
- affluent
-
deprived of, devoid of, or lacking (often followed byof ).
destitute of children.
- Synonyms:
- deficient
verb (used with object)
adjective
-
lacking the means of subsistence; totally impoverished
-
completely lacking; deprived or bereft (of)
destitute of words
-
obsolete abandoned or deserted
Other Word Forms
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."
Vocabulary lists containing destitute
A Christmas Carol
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Hamilton
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Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
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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.
See Examples For:
“We have a socioeconomic problem in Rio de Janeiro—we have very wealthy people, and we have very destitute people,” Moscatelli says.
From Slate ● May 27, 2026
My father, 75, is essentially destitute and in failing health.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 4, 2026
The Dominican nuns who run the kitchen prepare food for about 80 elderly or destitute people -- growing numbers of Cubans are forced to rummage through garbage bins for food -- each day.
From Barron's ● Feb. 11, 2026
Steve Smith, from refugee charity Care4Calais, told the BBC: "In terms of people seeking asylum, the government has a duty, under the Refugee Convention, to house those who would be otherwise destitute."
From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2025
The son discovered that Carmine’s birth mother, a new arrival from Italy, died in childbirth, and his destitute father gave him up.
From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline
He was sorter destituted and not a bit up-to-date.
From Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves South Carolina Narratives, Part 2 by Work Projects Administration
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.
