impoverished

[ im-pov-er-isht, -pov-risht ]

/ ɪmˈpɒv ər ɪʃt, -ˈpɒv rɪʃt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR impoverished ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

reduced to poverty.

(of a country, area, etc.) having few trees, flowers, birds, wild animals, etc.

deprived of strength, vitality, creativeness, etc.: an impoverished attempt at humor.

Nearby words

impotence, impotent, impound, impoundment, impoverish, impoverished, impower, impracticable, impractical, imprecate, imprecation

Origin of impoverished

First recorded in 1625–35; impoverish + -ed²

SYNONYMS FOR impoverished

1 See poor.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR impoverished ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

un·im·pov·er·ished, adjective

Definition for impoverished (2 of 2)

impoverish

[ im-pov-er-ish, -pov-rish ]

/ ɪmˈpɒv ər ɪʃ, -ˈpɒv rɪʃ /

verb (used with object)

to reduce to poverty: a country impoverished by war.

to make poor in quality, productiveness, etc.; exhaust the strength or richness of: Bad farming practices impoverished the soil.

Origin of impoverish

1400–50; late Middle English empoverishen < Middle French empovriss- (long stem of empovrir), equivalent to em- em-¹ + povre poor + -iss -ish²

SYNONYMS FOR impoverish

2 deplete, drain; weaken, enervate, fatigue, cripple.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR impoverish ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR impoverish

1, 2 enrich.

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Related forms

im·pov·er·ish·er, nounim·pov·er·ish·ment, noun

Examples from the Web for impoverished

Locking up the primary breadwinner can push a family from working-class to impoverished.
Why Isn’t Prison Justice on the Ballot This Tuesday?|Inimai Chettiar, Abigail Finkelman|November 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Densely populated and impoverished, the community was struggling long before Ebola arrived.
Meet the Liberian Girls Beating Ebola|Abby Haglage|October 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
My office is located such that I have many patients from both affluent and impoverished communities.
The Doctor’s Note Must Die!|Russell Saunders|September 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Impoverished defendants were frequently ordered to pay fines that were triple their monthly income.
Ferguson Feeds Off the Poor: Three Warrants a Year Per Household|Michael Daly|August 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Montgomery points to impoverished Bogota, for example, as “a happy city” that shows the way to urban development.
In the Future We'll All Be Renters: America's Disappearing Middle Class|Joel Kotkin|August 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They reaped in love and praise the reward that their impoverished constituency could not pay them in money.
A History of American Literature|Percy H. Boynton
The population was not only impoverished and reduced in numbers but broken in spirit.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 8|Various
During the 12th and 13th centuries the county was impoverished by the constant inroads of the Welsh.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 1|Various
The daughter of an impoverished prince was opportunely at hand.
The Surprises of Life|Georges Clemenceau
Impoverished most of them were by the loss of their houses and cattle.
Boyhood in Norway|Hjalmar Hjorth Boyesen

British Dictionary definitions for impoverished

impoverish

/ (ɪmˈpɒvərɪʃ) /

verb (tr)

to make poor or diminish the quality ofto impoverish society by cutting the grant to the arts

to deprive (soil, etc) of fertility

Derived Forms

impoverisher, nounimpoverishment, noun

Word Origin for impoverish

C15: from Old French empovrir, from povre poor

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012