indigent

[in-di-juhnt]

adjective

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

   Synonyms: distressed, penurious, necessitous

2. Archaic.

   1. deficient in what is requisite.

   2. destitute (usually followed byof ).

noun

1. a person who is indigent.

indigent

/ ˈɪndɪdʒənt /

adjective

1. so poor as to lack even necessities; very needy

2. archaic,  (usually foll by of) lacking (in) or destitute (of)

noun

1. an impoverished person

Other Word Forms

• indigently adverb
• indigence noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of indigent¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin indigent-, stem of indigēns “needing, lacking,” present participle of indigēre “to need, lack, be poor,” from ind-, variant of in- in- ² ( indagate ) + -igēre, combining form of egēre “to need, lack”

Word History and Origins

Origin of indigent¹

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

Example Sentences

That means the system already profoundly disadvantages indigent asylum seekers — they can’t afford a lawyer, often don’t speak English and have no road map for navigating arcane immigration law.

From Los Angeles Times

In it, he condemned “wealthy owners and all masters” who sought to profit off “the indigent and destitute.”

From Los Angeles Times

As a young immigration lawyer in California’s Central Valley, Matthew Barragan cut his teeth defending the rights of indigent workers facing deportation.

From Los Angeles Times

To avoid paying the SEC judgments, prosecutors say, Bilzerian falsely represented that he was indigent.

From Los Angeles Times

What galls her is that “it’s so often the case that a person with a disability has to make themselves indigent in order to qualify for what they need,” Smith said.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• destitute 
• impoverished 
• needy 
• penniless 
• poverty-stricken