poor

[ poor ]

/ pʊər /

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See synonyms for: poor / poorer / poorest / poorness on Thesaurus.com

adjective, poor·er, poor·est.

having little or no money, goods, or other means of support: She came from a poor family struggling to survive.

Law. dependent upon charity or public support.

(of a country, institution, etc.) meagerly supplied or endowed with resources or funds.

characterized by or showing poverty.

deficient or lacking in something specified: a region poor in mineral deposits.

faulty or inferior, as in construction: poor workmanship.

(of land or soil) lacking abundance or productivity: poor soil.

excessively lean or emaciated, as cattle.

of an inferior, inadequate, or unsatisfactory kind: poor health.

lacking in skill, ability, or training: a poor cook.

deficient in moral excellence; cowardly, abject, or mean.

scanty, meager, or paltry in amount or number: a poor audience.

humble; modest: They shared their poor meal with a stranger.

unfortunate; hapless: The poor dog was limping.

noun (used with a plural verb)

Usually the poor .Often Disparaging and Offensive. poor people collectively.

OTHER WORDS FOR poor

1 needy, indigent, impoverished, destitute, penniless, poverty-stricken, necessitous, straitened.

5 meager.

6 unsatisfactory, shabby.

7 sterile, barren, unfruitful, unproductive.

8 thin, skinny, meager, gaunt.

14 miserable, unhappy, pitiable.

See synonyms for poor on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR poor

1 rich, wealthy.

7 fertile.

See antonyms for poor on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about poor

poor as a church mouse, extremely poor.

poor as Job's turkey, Southern and South Midland U.S. extremely poor.

Origin of poor

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English pov(e)re, from Old French povre, from Latin pauper; see pauper

synonym study for poor

1. Poor, impecunious, impoverished, penniless refer to those lacking money. Poor is the simple term for the condition of lacking means to obtain the comforts of life: a very poor family. Impecunious often suggests that the poverty is a consequence of unwise habits: an impecunious actor. Impoverished often implies a former state of greater plenty, from which one has been reduced: the impoverished aristocracy. Penniless may mean destitute, or it may apply simply to a temporary condition of being without funds: The widow was left penniless with three small children.

how to pronounce poor

In North and North Midland U.S. English, the vowel of poor is most often

[oo]. /ʊ/. Poor and sure thus contrast with pour and shore:

[poor], /pʊər/,

[shoor] /ʃʊər/ versus

[pawr], /pɔr/,

[shawr] /ʃɔr/ or

[pohr], /poʊr/,

[shohr]. /ʃoʊr/. In the South Midland and South, the vowel of poor is generally

[aw] /ɔ/ or

[oh] /oʊ/ (often with the final (r) dropped), which means that in these areas, poor and pour are homophones, as are sure and shore. Both types of pronunciation exist in the British Isles.

OTHER WORDS FROM poor

poor·ness, nounnon·poor, nounqua·si-poor, adjectivequa·si-poor·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH poor

paw, poor , pore

Words nearby poor

Poopó, poo-poo, poop out, poop sheet, poop staff, poor, poor as a churchmouse, poor box, poor boy, poor boy sweater, poor-do

How to use poor in a sentence

Indeed, when the first asylums were created, the poor and the mad were locked up together with the rest of society’s outcasts.
How colonialism and capitalism helped place a stigma on mental illness|Balaji Ravichandran|February 12, 2021|Washington Post
A House committee took the proposal further this week, replacing Hogan’s $750 payments to 400,000 poor families with a three-year anti-poverty plan that would increase the Earned Income Tax Credit.
Maryland House Democrats push to expand eligibility for covid relief|Ovetta Wiggins, Erin Cox|February 11, 2021|Washington Post
The wealthier wards had kids returning to class at twice the rate as the poorest ward in the city, according to city data.
The mid-pandemic return to school is totally weird for kids. And possibly lonely, too.|Petula Dvorak|February 11, 2021|Washington Post
Chairs that offer active sitting will strengthen your core while offering support for your lower back, while chairs that have poor support can cause spinal alignment issues and lead to a potentially serious back injury.
Best desk chair for any home office|PopSci Commerce Team|February 11, 2021|Popular-Science

Their conclusion, summarized in a statement and short report, is that the crash stemmed from the pilot executing “poor decision making” as well as experiencing spatial disorientation.
This surprisingly common flight issue contributed to Kobe Bryant’s helicopter crash|Rob Verger|February 11, 2021|Popular-Science
Placed in drinking water, fluoride can serve people who otherwise have poor access to dental care.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
If so, he has his silence -- on top of poor judgment -- to blame.
The Price of Steve Scalise’s Silence|Jason Berry|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But most likely it was linked to the way priests identify with the poor in the face of government and criminal abuses.
Mexico’s Priests Are Marked for Murder|Jason McGahan|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
What they actually mean by that is, you know, he actually knows some people that are poor.
Why This Liberal Hearts Huckabee|Sally Kohn|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
For those living in poor communities in particular, interactions with police rarely come with good news and a smile.
How to Solve the Policing Crisis|Keli Goff|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Poor Squinty ran and tried to hide under the straw, for he knew the boy was talking about him.
Squinty the Comical Pig|Richard Barnum
He did believe you, more or less, and what you said fell in with his own impressions—strange impressions that they were, poor man!
Confidence|Henry James
In withdrawing aside sorrow remaineth: and the substance of the poor is according to his heart.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
The poor must look to the brightness of a future world for the consolation that they were denied in this.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
Y was a Youth, that did not love school; Z was a Zany, a poor harmless fool.
Boys and Girls Bookshelf; a Practical Plan of Character Building, Volume I (of 17)|Various

British Dictionary definitions for poor

poor

/ (pʊə, pɔː) /

adjective

lacking financial or other means of subsistence; needy
(as collective noun; preceded by the)the poor

characterized by or indicating povertythe country had a poor economy

deficient in amount; scanty or inadequatea poor salary

(when postpositive, usually foll by in) badly supplied (with resources, materials, etc)a region poor in wild flowers

lacking in quality; inferior

giving no pleasure; disappointing or disagreeablea poor play

(prenominal) deserving of pity; unluckypoor John is ill again

poor man's something a (cheaper) substitute for something

Derived forms of poor

poorness, noun

Word Origin for poor

C13: from Old French povre, from Latin pauper; see pauper, poverty

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

poor

OTHER WORDS FOR poor

OPPOSITES FOR poor

Idioms about poor

Origin of poor

synonym study for poor

how to pronounce poor

OTHER WORDS FROM poor

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH poor

Words nearby poor

Words related to poor

How to use poor in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for poor

Derived forms of poor

Word Origin for poor