impoverish

American  

[im-pov-er-ish, -pov-rish] / ɪmˈpɒv ər ɪʃ, -ˈpɒv rɪʃ /

verb (used with object)

1. to reduce to poverty.

   a country impoverished by war.

   Antonyms:

   enrich

2. to make poor in quality, productiveness, etc.; exhaust the strength or richness of.

   Bad farming practices impoverished the soil.

   Synonyms:

   cripple, fatigue, enervate, weaken, drain, deplete

   Antonyms:

   enrich

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impoverish British  

/ ɪmˈpɒvərɪʃ /

verb

1. to make poor or diminish the quality of

   to impoverish society by cutting the grant to the arts

2. to deprive (soil, etc) of fertility

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Other Word Forms

• impoverisher noun
• impoverishment noun

Etymology

Origin of impoverish

1400–50; late Middle English empoverishen < Middle French empovriss- (long stem of empovrir ), equivalent to em- em- ¹ + povre poor + -iss -ish ²

Example Sentences

The concern among some groups is that the lower amount will impoverish people who are ill and have little prospect of getting a job anytime soon.

From BBC

Caers says that KoBold is best positioned to put the Congolese archives online and bring investment to the impoverished country.

From The Wall Street Journal

With its outdated infrastructure, the impoverished DRC is no stranger to temporary fuel shortages.

From Barron's

In 1945 America was wealthy and powerful, Europe impoverished and weak.

From The Wall Street Journal

In 1971, he said that by “the year 2000 the United Kingdom will be simply a small group of impoverished islands, inhabited by some 70 million hungry people.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• bankrupt
• deplete
• exhaust
• ruin