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.
“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
He is not destitute: He owns his home and has relationships with his siblings and with some nieces and nephews.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 25, 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
Another was sent to live with her destitute biological family after acting out.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 8, 2025
In the northern provinces, the collapse of the nitrate fields had left thousands of workers destitute.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
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.
