noun
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the state of being destitute; utter poverty
-
rare lack or deficiency
Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of destitution
1400–50; late Middle English < Latin dēstitūtiōn- (stem of dēstitūtiō ) an abandoning, equivalent to dēstitūt ( us ) ( see destitute) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
Destitution is an unfortunate state in which a person lacks something important — like money, food, companionship, or even hope. Everyone is down on their luck sometimes. Most people will get seriously sick at some point, lose a job, or have a marriage fall apart. However, most people won't fall into destitution, which is a truly hopeless state. Homeless people are in a state of destitution. People starving or without medical care are in a state of destitution. If someone is in a state of destitution, he is experiencing utter despair.
Vocabulary lists containing destitution
The Cuckoo's Calling
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Orphan Train
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The Count of Monte Cristo
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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.
Forty years later, Pope Pius XI, in “Quadragesimo Anno,” criticized concentrations of capital amid the widespread destitution during the Great Depression, but he also criticized the totalitarian responses sweeping Europe.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026
After years of insurgencies, residents in eastern Congo are accustomed to food shortages, inflation and destitution.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026
"If we violate the ban, we face prison. If we comply, we face destitution," one unnamed farmer in Helmand province told BBC Pashto this summer.
From BBC • Nov. 6, 2025
The destitution will not just be political and moral, it will be economic too.
From Salon • May 29, 2025
Holmes even wanted Ned to buy life insurance, for surely once his marital strife subsided, he would want to protect Julia and Pearl from destitution in the event of his death.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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.
