poverty

[pov-er-tee]

noun

1. the state or condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support; condition of being poor.

   Synonyms: penury, pauperism, indigence, destitution, neediness, privation
   Antonyms: affluence, wealth, riches

2. deficiency of necessary or desirable ingredients, qualities, etc..

   poverty of the soil.

   Synonyms: insufficiency

3. scantiness; insufficiency.

   Their efforts to stamp out disease were hampered by a poverty of medical supplies.

   Synonyms: dearth, paucity, shortage, inadequacy
   Antonyms: sufficiency, surfeit, abundance, glut, excess

poverty

/ ˈpɒvətɪ /

noun

1. the condition of being without adequate food, money, etc

2. scarcity or dearth

   a poverty of wit

3. a lack of elements conducive to fertility in land or soil

Word History and Origins

Origin of poverty¹

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English poverte, from Old French, from Latin paupertāt- (stem of paupertās ) “small means, moderate circumstances.”; pauper, -ty ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of poverty¹

C12: from Old French poverté, from Latin paupertās restricted means, from pauper _poor

Example Sentences

“In a world where there’s a wealth of information,” he said, “there’s a poverty of attention.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Jenna Fansa, co-founder of the Winter Toy Appeal said she originally set it up because it felt unfair that some children did not get presents at Christmas due to living in poverty.

Read more on BBC

Gaza's economic collapse has been so catastrophic during two years of intense war that a new UN report says its entire population of more than two million has been pushed into poverty.

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And the long-awaited strategy on child poverty will likely see the light of day towards the end of the week.

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The ex-president favored a much-criticized “hugs not bullets” strategy — curtailing offensive operations against cartels and instead addressing poverty and other socioeconomic factors driving young people to join organized crime.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bankruptcy 
• debt 
• deficit 
• difficulty 
• famine 
• hardship 
• lack 
• scarcity 
• shortage 
• starvation 
• underdevelopment www.thesaurus.com

When To Use

What are other ways to say poverty?

Poverty refers to the state or condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support. How does this noun compare to synonyms destitution and indigence? Learn more on Thesaurus.com.