insolvent
Americanadjective
-
not solvent; unable to satisfy creditors or discharge liabilities, either because liabilities exceed assets or because of inability to pay debts as they mature.
- Synonyms:
- bankrupt, impoverished, destitute, penniless
-
pertaining to bankrupt persons or bankruptcy.
noun
adjective
-
(of a person, company, etc) having insufficient assets to meet debts and liabilities; bankrupt
-
of or relating to bankrupts or bankruptcy
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of insolvent
Explanation
Piggy bank empty? Nothing but lint in your pockets? Then you're probably unable to meet any financial obligations. In other words, you are insolvent. Being insolvent isn't just about being poor. A person or business that's insolvent has no resources, no assets and no way to pay any of the bills. This adjective insolvent is a synonym for bankrupt, and surely the last thing anyone wants to be. The only way to solve the problem of insolvency? Start saving your pennies again from scratch.
Vocabulary lists containing insolvent
100 SAT Words Beginning with "I"
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Broke-abulary: Synonyms for "Poor"
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Dwight D. Eisenhower, "The Military-Industrial Complex" (1961)
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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.
Insolvent usually describes a business or individual that can’t pay its debts as they come due.
From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026
These gentlemen are the Commissioners of the Insolvent Court, and the place in which they sit is the Insolvent Court itself.”
From The Law and the Poor by Parry, Edward Abbott
These gentlemen are the Commissioners of the Insolvent Court, and the place in which they sit, is the Insolvent Court itself.
From The Pickwick Papers by Dickens, Charles
Embarress’d man be just and true, Insolvent acts releases you; I mean your person from a jail, Tho’ keen reproach the man assail.
From Poetical Works comprising Elegies, Sketches from Life, Pathetic, and Extempore Pieces by Parkerson, James
Schooner "Brill"; 74 tons; St. John, N.B., had discharged part of cargo and was going to Fredericton with balance; owned by McSherry's Insolvent Estate.
From The Story of the Great Fire in St. John, N.B., June 20th, 1877 by Stewart, George
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.
