pauper
Americannoun
-
a person without any means of support, especially a destitute person who depends on aid from public welfare funds or charity.
-
a very poor person.
noun
-
a person who is extremely poor
-
(formerly) a destitute person supported by public charity
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of pauper
1485–95; < Latin: poor
Explanation
Pauper is an old-fashioned word for someone who is poor — really poor, like the paupers described by Charles Dickens or Mark Twain. The noun pauper has been around for over 500 years, but today, the word tends to mostly crop up in literature. If people use it in conversation, they tend to use the word self-deprecatingly. "I'm sorry, I can't afford to go with you to the movies. I'm living like a pauper this week, until I get paid."
Vocabulary lists containing pauper
"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 1–7
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"A Rose for Emily"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Broke-abulary: Synonyms for "Poor"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
However, this nomad only looked like a pauper.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026
A Nigerian mum might say: 'Do you want to live your life as a pauper forever?'
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2025
It also helped that Crawford was not exactly a pauper and got only marginally outspent in a race that saw over $107 million in expenditures.
From Slate ● Apr. 3, 2025
Gi-hun, meanwhile, is living like a pauper, holed up in an empty fleabag hotel he owns and refusing to spend any of the fortune he’d won on himself.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 26, 2024
Playing here, working in the Fishery, and with a wealthy patron on the horizon, I’d no longer be forced to live like a pauper.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
The sport of kings to some, the sport of paupers for most.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2025
"The RFU keep trumpeting community rugby as the lifeblood of the game, while at the same time seemingly treating them like paupers."
From BBC ● Jan. 9, 2025
Well, in the portal’s early weeks, the Bruins have been closer to paupers given all the transfer targets who committed elsewhere.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 19, 2023
Many people in both America and the United Kingdom found the idea of elected representation for colonists utterly anomalous, as much an outlier as elected representation for paupers or for women.
From Slate ● Feb. 15, 2023
“You can’t call me Lady Claudia anymore. We’re paupers now.”
From "From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" by E.L. Konigsburg
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.
