indigence
Americannoun
Usage
What are other ways to say indigence? Indigence refers to a seriously impoverished condition. How is it different from the synonyms poverty and destitution? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Etymology
Origin of indigence
1325–75; Middle English < Latin indigentia need. See indigent, -ence
Explanation
Indigence is a synonym for extreme poverty. If you experience indigence, you have a critical need for food, money, and other resources. To correctly pronounce indigence, accent the first syllable: "IN-dih-genz." It means "great lack of material resources," like money. Indigence a noun, and indigent, an adjective, are related words that have to do with need. If you are indigent — suffering from extreme poverty — you are living in indigence, the state of extreme poverty.
Vocabulary lists containing indigence
Walden
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The Horse and His Boy
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Oliver Twist
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Black and Hispanic Americans escaped indigence in record numbers.
From Washington Post • Mar. 11, 2022
The challenges of Maloney’s background — familial trauma, poor medical care, occasional indigence — form part of the back story, but they are ultimately beside the point of this book.
From New York Times • Feb. 25, 2022
Oetken said his ruling on Parnas’ indigence was in response to a letter from his lawyer stating he could no longer pay the costs of his defense.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 4, 2021
Applicants can easily prove their indigence by filing an affidavit or simply noting that they were assigned a public defender.
From Slate • May 26, 2020
It is a fine thing, reader, to be lifted in a moment from indigence to wealth—a very fine thing; but not a matter one can comprehend, or consequently enjoy, all at once.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
