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Synonyms

poverty-stricken

American  
[pov-er-tee-strik-uhn] / ˈpɒv ər tiˌstrɪk ən /

adjective

  1. suffering from poverty; extremely poor.

    poverty-stricken refugees.


poverty-stricken British  

adjective

  1. suffering from extreme 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

Etymology

Origin of poverty-stricken

First recorded in 1795–1805

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.

This explosive, eye-opening work came from Ivy League professor Desmond moving to a trailer park and rooming house in a poverty-stricken part of Milwaukee.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2025

He was calling from a jail in Jehanabad, a poverty-stricken district and, at the time, a stronghold of left-wing extremism.

From BBC • Sep. 30, 2024

Porter had dropped out of junior college and entered the Baltimore police academy in 2012, hoping to restore trust in law enforcement in the same poverty-stricken neighborhoods where he grew up.

From Slate • May 24, 2024

I think if you take a camera into any rural area or area that's poverty-stricken, it's not gonna look pretty, but somehow we were special.

From Salon • May 19, 2024

Until 1996, there was a basic understanding that poverty-stricken mothers raising children should be afforded some minimal level of assistance with food and shelter.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander