pauper
Americannoun
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a person without any means of support, especially a destitute person who depends on aid from public welfare funds or charity.
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a very poor person.
noun
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a person who is extremely poor
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(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
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"A Rose for Emily"
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Broke-abulary: Synonyms for "Poor"
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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.
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
For most of human history, identity was ascribed at birth: pauper, peasant, preacher, princess.
From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2024
Follow the adage "Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper."
From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2022
“Believe it or not, I have spent the day among paupers. A pauper is someone who is exceptionally poor,” she added, by way of explanation to Alexander and Beowulf.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
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
Monica, Danny and James are toiling in the shadow of the entertainment industry — relative paupers who can’t help wondering if they’ll ever be invited to the nearby banquet.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 14, 2022
In 1330, for instance, the official population of the northern Italian city of Florence was 100,000, but a full 20,000 were paupers, most of whom had come from the countryside seeking relief.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2020
She and Anatole evidently have chosen to live like paupers.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
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.
