indigent

[ in-di-juhnt ]

/ ˈɪn dɪ dʒənt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR indigent ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

lacking food, clothing, and other necessities of life because of poverty; needy; poor; impoverished.

Archaic.

deficient in what is requisite.
destitute (usually followed by of).

noun

a person who is indigent.

Nearby words

indigence, indigene, indigenize, indigenous, indigenous australian, indigent, indigently, indigested, indigestible, indigestion, indigestive

Origin of indigent

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin indigent- (stem of indigēns) present participle of indigēre to need, lack, be poor, equivalent to ind- by-form of in- in-² (cf. indagate) + -ig- (combining form of egēre to need, lack) + -ent- -ent

SYNONYMS FOR indigent

1 necessitous, penurious, distressed.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR indigent ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

in·di·gent·ly, adverb

Can be confused

indigence indigentsindigent indignant

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for indigent

The lawyers of ArchCity Defenders specialize in representing the indigent and the homeless.
Ferguson Feeds Off the Poor: Three Warrants a Year Per Household|Michael Daly|August 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In addition, many Texans believed that the role of helping the indigent belonged to the church.
How Religion Turned Texas Red|William O’Connor|August 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She emphasizes that the indigent detainees who will benefit from this program are not all undocumented.
New York City Letting Immigrants Lawyer Up for Free|Caitlin Dickson|June 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Herrera is seeking to have the city reimbursed for its care of indigent patients it claims were dumped there by Nevada.
Nevada Sued for ‘Greyhound Therapy’ for Mentally Ill Patients|John L. Smith|September 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST

In New York, state law has authorized courts to appoint lawyers on behalf of indigent criminal defendants since 1881.
Fifty Years Later, Right to Lawyer Remains ‘Unfunded Mandate’|Chris Opfer|March 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He laughs at Loretto and Mecca; but he succors the indigent and defends the oppressed.
A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 10 (of 10)|Franois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)
Many workhouses have been established for indigent persons capable of work.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 2|Various
Can he extort one noble thought from his weak and indigent brain?
Love and Intrigue|Friedrich Schiller
By his will he left the bulk of his real estate to found a home for aged and indigent Hawaiians.
The Hawaiian Islands|The Department of Foreign Affairs
And to make good infantry, it requireth men bred, not in a servile or indigent fashion, but in some free and plentiful manner.
Landholding In England|Joseph Fisher

British Dictionary definitions for indigent

indigent

/ (ˈɪndɪdʒənt) /

adjective

so poor as to lack even necessities; very needy

(usually foll by of) archaic lacking (in) or destitute (of)

noun

an impoverished person

Derived Forms

indigence, nounindigently, adverb

Word Origin for indigent

C14: from Latin indigēre to need, from egēre to lack

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