IMPOVERISHED Synonyms: 146 Similar and Opposite Words

impoverished 1 of 2

adjective

im-ˈpä-v(ə-)risht

Definition of impoverished

as in poor

lacking money or material possessions the widespread hope that the lottery's record-setting jackpot is won by an impoverished family

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in desolate

producing inferior or only a small amount of vegetation an impoverished field that over the years had been overgrazed

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

impoverished

2 of 2

verb

past tense of impoverish

as in pauperized

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Dissimilar Words

as in depleted

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of impoverished

Adjective

Parton had came from an impoverished upbringing, and used her fame to focus on philanthropy and support for those in need. — Amethyst Martinez, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026 About one-fifth of Florida’s impoverished elderly people live in the county, state records show. — Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 21 Aug. 2026 Behind the scenes, this gritty, impoverished circus company wrestles with violence, illness and animal cruelty. — Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026 That is a symptom of an impoverished understanding of a leadership role. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for impoverished

Recent Examples of Synonyms for impoverished

Adjective

Dozens of companies have withdrawn over the past decades due to poor profits, an uncertain business outlook and concerns about harm to their reputations from making arms, especially lethal weapons.

— Mia Osmonbekov, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026
Along the way, the audience can expect tons of humiliation, terrible second prizes, and the guarantee that Robertson will turn at least one poor soul's wrong turn into several minutes of unhinged public destruction.

— Rebecca Rosman, NPR, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of poor

Adjective

Exploring Indonesia—an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands—over more than a decade has led me to some truly jaw-dropping beaches, some gloriously desolate, others vibrantly alive with international travelers, expats, and locals.

— Kathryn Romeyn, Travel + Leisure, 26 Aug. 2026
Noisemaker feels a genuine kinship with the Gallico story, including its setting, a desolate stretch of coastline in eastern England.

— Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of desolate

Verb

Three winemakers earlier this month filed suit against the owner of Hundred Acre Wines, Jayson Woodbridge, and his company alleging that smoke from the wildfire ruined their harvests, the Press Democrat reported.

— Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
Authorities in Napa County have charged a man for allegedly setting the 2025 Pickett Fire near Calistoga, which burned thousands of acres of Wine Country and ruined grape harvests because of the smoke.

— Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of ruined

Verb

The 2026 Social Security trustees report projects that the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance trust fund will be depleted in the fourth quarter of 2032.

— Joshua Hong, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026
The war has also depleted some of the Pentagon’s most important missile stocks, leaving fewer available for another major conflict.

— Steven Beynon, ABC News, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of depleted

Adjective

Supposedly posing a threat to their idyll on the outskirts are various marauding splinter groups running amok through the barren wasteland of the American Mountain West.

— Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 25 Aug. 2026
Blackburn Rovers, Middlesbrough, Swansea City and Birmingham City, all now Championship clubs, have won silverware during Everton’s three barren decades.

— Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of barren

Verb

Obviously, that’s a fair assumption if his ice time is meaningfully reduced, and the same goes for Draisaitl.

— Janson Duench, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
The development comes as the global shipping industry contends with attacks around the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, higher energy prices, and sharply reduced traffic through some of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints.

— Joshua Hong, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of reduced

Verb

Social Security’s retirement trust fund is projected to be depleted in 2032, with the combined retirement and disability trust funds exhausted by around 2033 or 2034.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026
The result was a landscape repeatedly cleared and exhausted for cotton and other cash crops.

— The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of exhausted

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“Impoverished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impoverished. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of impoverished

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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