impoverished
[ im-pov-er-isht, -pov-risht ]
/ ɪmˈpɒv ər ɪʃt, -ˈpɒv rɪʃt /
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.
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Question 1 of 7
What does "scattergood" mean?
a person who acts as though he or she knows everything and who dismisses the opinions, comments, or suggestions of others.
a person who spends possessions or money extravagantly or wastefully; spendthrift.
a well-intentioned but naive and often ineffectual social or political reformer.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUTOrigin of impoverished
First recorded in 1625–35; impoverish + -ed2
OTHER WORDS FROM impoverished
un·im·pov·er·ished, adjectiveWords nearby impoverished
impotence, impotent, impound, impoundment, impoverish, impoverished, impower, impracticable, impractical, imprecate, imprecation
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
SYNONYMS FOR impoverish
OTHER WORDS FROM impoverish
im·pov·er·ish·er, nounim·pov·er·ish·ment, nounDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for impoverished
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 of impoverish
impoverisher, nounimpoverishment, nounWord Origin for impoverish
C15: from Old French empovrir, from povre poor
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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