impoverished

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

adjective

1. reduced to poverty.

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

3. deprived of strength, vitality, creativeness, etc..

   an impoverished attempt at humor.

Other Word Forms

• unimpoverished adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of impoverished¹

First recorded in 1625–35; impoverish + -ed ²

Synonym Study

See poor.

Example Sentences

He’s dismantled U.S. humanitarian assistance to impoverished lands and put pressure on allies to spend more money on war preparations, not welfare programs or foreign aid.

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Under their rule, the impoverished backwater was transformed into a flashy hub of casinos and red-light districts.

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But exploiting these giant reserves remains complicated in the impoverished states with harsh and remote terrains.

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What the play most painfully illustrates is that for women like these—impoverished or politically oppressed—appealing options are nonexistent.

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AFP spoke to relatives of four men from impoverished families who travelled to Russia to join its army, three of whom are officially missing.

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Related Words

• barren 
• destitute 
• distressed 
• indigent 
• needy 
• poverty-stricken 
• strapped