dirt poor

adjective

1. lacking nearly all material means or resources for living.

dirt-poor

adjective

1. extremely poor

Word History and Origins

Origin of dirt poor¹

An Americanism dating back to 1935–40

Related Words

• bankrupt 
• exhausted 
• impoverished 
• indigent 
• insolvent 
• needy 
• penniless 
• poor 
• poverty-stricken 
• strapped