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Showing results for poverty-stricken. Search instead for povertystricken.
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.

See Examples For:

He also represented Alex Saab, who American prosecutors said laundered money for Venezuela’s former strongman, Nicolás Maduro, and oversaw the importation of often-rotten food to a poverty-stricken country.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 2, 2026

The decision means there will be more preventable deaths in the 17 poverty-stricken counties along Interstate 95 that constitute the Corridor of Shame, Brown said.

From Salon Oct. 31, 2024

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

Her belief that all people are good comes into question after the cynical Harry shows her the poverty-stricken streets of Alexandria, from their well-heeled perch from high above.

From Los Angeles Times Dec. 6, 2023

For Segre, a friend and collaborator of Enrico Fermi’s who was heading home to a professorship at Italy’s poverty-stricken University of Palermo, these pieces of radioactive shrapnel were priceless.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

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