INDIGENT Synonyms: 97 Similar and Opposite Words

indigent 1 of 2

adjective

ˈin-di-jənt

Definition of indigent

as in impoverished

lacking money or material possessions because he was indigent, the court appointed a lawyer to represent him

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

indigent

2 of 2

noun

as in pauper

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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 indigent

Adjective

An indigent defense commission in Michigan, which was formed by the legislature in 2013, has led to significant reforms and a substantial influx in state funding. — Anat Rubin, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2026 Lee was initially found indigent and unable to afford an attorney, so the court assigned the county’s conflicts panel to represent him. — Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 18 June 2026

Noun

Lower than proletariat workers, the lumpenproletariat includes the indigent and the unemployable, those cast out of the workforce with no recourse, or those who can’t enter it in the first place, such as young workers in times of economic depression. — Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for indigent

Recent Examples of Synonyms for indigent

Adjective

But perhaps the most impressive thing the seemingly tireless Parton did during her 80 years was donate much of her wealth to impoverished communities.

— Donna Vickroy, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
The loosened restrictions will not empower Washington to pursue investment and economic cooperation with al Sharaa’s government, which could transform the impoverished country.

— Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of impoverished

Noun

After Blake Street Cemetery stopped accepting new burials in 1931, New Haven began relying on another paupers’ cemetery located on Woodin Street.

— John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 20 July 2026
That honest job has, across four generations, fed prime ministers and paupers, cooked for the King and Queen, and quietly funded a one-man legal aid service for survivors of abuse.

— Afdhel Aziz, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026

Definition of pauper

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Dozens of companies have withdrawn over the past decades due to poor profits, an uncertain business outlook and concerns about harm to their reputations from making arms, especially lethal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

Noun

Historically in Chicago, parent fundraising has been a story of have versus have-not schools, a dynamic threatening to drive deeper inequity in a segregated district.

— Mila Koumpilova, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2026
Often, football is described as a game of haves and have-nots.

— Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 11 June 2026

Definition of have-not

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“Indigent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/indigent. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of indigent

adjective

noun

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