destitution

[ des-ti-too-shuhn, -tyoo- ]

noun

1. lack of the means of subsistence; utter poverty.

   Antonyms: wealth, affluence

2. deprivation, lack, or absence.

destitution

/ ˌdɛstɪˈtjuːʃən /

noun

1. the state of being destitute; utter poverty
2. rare.
   lack or deficiency

Other Words From

• predes·ti·tution noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of destitution¹

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin dēstitūtiōn- (stem of dēstitūtiō ) an abandoning, equivalent to dēstitūt ( us ) ( destitute ) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

But, after Vaello-Madero became seriously ill in 2011 and was unable to work, SSI was his lifeline against destitution.

From Vox

She said she is in touch with many former miners, some of whom fell into destitution after the last mine here closed.

From Washington Post

For male subjects, “we found that the cash alone—which is quite a lot of money given their destitution—barely improves psychosocial well-being,” she says.

From MIT Technology Review

Some of the densest clusters of destitution, home to what Booth uncharitably described as “vicious and semi-criminal” classes, are in the north of Lambeth, where modern studio flats cost north of a million pounds.

From Washington Post

Traditionally, this “instant divorce,” as it is often called, could banish women to a life of destitution, given many women’s struggles to own property in their own name or to find profitable work.

From Ozy

As he notes, these benefits are key to countless families who would otherwise fall into destitution.

From The Daily Beast

Now she just wants the neo homeless to get back under a roof before they become acclimated to destitution.

From The Daily Beast

Artemis Stefanoudaki, a 38-year-old photographer, lives on the razor-thin margin between poverty and destitution.

From The Daily Beast

The new forces controlled by mankind have been powerless as yet to remove want and destitution, hard work and social discontent.

From Project Gutenberg

Although bordering on the lowest state of destitution—and that is a remarkably low state in London!

From Project Gutenberg

From every rank in society they had gravitated—but all were stamped with the same brand—destitution!

From Project Gutenberg

All that was pitiable and miserable in the land, sunken alike by ignorance and destitution.

From Project Gutenberg

An interesting feature of this case is the vagueness of the term "in need of relief," instead of "destitution."

From Project Gutenberg

When To Use

What are other ways to say destitution?

Destitution is utter poverty or the lack of the means of subsistence. How does this noun compare to synonyms poverty and indigence? Learn more on Thesaurus.com.