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
- destitutely adverb
- destituteness noun
- predestitute adjective
- undestitute adjective
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; statute ) + -ū- thematic vowel + -tus past participle suffix
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.
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
Modi, as the Italian was affectionately called, was urbane, well-groomed and handsome, while Soutine was destitute, sickly and notoriously unwashed.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025
Support would still be available for "those who are destitute" but will be withheld from those with permission to work who do not, and from people who break the law or defy removal directions.
From BBC • Nov. 17, 2025
Erasmus and his circle debated the Poor Laws, which were shunting the destitute into workhouses; they discussed the need for social reform.
From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman
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.
