BANKRUPT Synonyms: 130 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'bankrupt' distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of bankrupt are deplete , drain , exhaust , and impoverish . While all these words mean "to deprive of something essential to existence or potency," bankrupt suggests impoverishment to the point of imminent collapse. // war had bankrupted the nation of resources

Q: When could 'deplete' be used to replace 'bankrupt'?

While in some cases nearly identical to bankrupt , deplete implies a reduction in number or quantity so as to endanger the ability to function. // depleting our natural resources

Q: In what contexts can 'drain' take the place of 'bankrupt'?

The synonyms drain and bankrupt are sometimes interchangeable, but drain implies a gradual withdrawal and ultimate deprivation of what is necessary to an existence. // personal tragedy had drained him of all spirit

Q: When is 'exhaust' a more appropriate choice than 'bankrupt'?

While the synonyms exhaust and bankrupt are close in meaning, exhaust stresses a complete emptying. // her lecture exhausted the subject

Q: When would 'impoverish' be a good substitute for 'bankrupt'?

The meanings of impoverish and bankrupt largely overlap; however, impoverish suggests a deprivation of something essential to richness or productiveness. // impoverished soil

bankrupt 1 of 3

adjective

Definition of bankrupt

as in devoid

utterly lacking in something needed, wanted, or expected the company's product development team was bankrupt of ideas

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

bankrupt

2 of 3

verb

as in to ruin

to cause to lose one's fortune and become unable to pay one's debts several bad investments bankrupted him

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

bankrupt

3 of 3

noun

as in derelict

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

saint

as in insolvent

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word bankrupt distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of bankrupt are deplete, drain, exhaust, and impoverish. While all these words mean "to deprive of something essential to existence or potency," bankrupt suggests impoverishment to the point of imminent collapse.

war had bankrupted the nation of resources

When could deplete be used to replace bankrupt?

While in some cases nearly identical to bankrupt, deplete implies a reduction in number or quantity so as to endanger the ability to function.

depleting our natural resources

In what contexts can drain take the place of bankrupt?

The synonyms drain and bankrupt are sometimes interchangeable, but drain implies a gradual withdrawal and ultimate deprivation of what is necessary to an existence.

personal tragedy had drained him of all spirit

When is exhaust a more appropriate choice than bankrupt?

While the synonyms exhaust and bankrupt are close in meaning, exhaust stresses a complete emptying.

her lecture exhausted the subject

When would impoverish be a good substitute for bankrupt?

The meanings of impoverish and bankrupt largely overlap; however, impoverish suggests a deprivation of something essential to richness or productiveness.

impoverished soil

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 bankrupt

Adjective

Social Security would not become bankrupt, but benefits would be constrained by incoming revenue unless Congress acts. — Thomas Hager, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026 Some residents said hope is elusive given the island’s litany of miseries – from natural disasters to a bankrupt government to a financial control board that manages funding for infrastructure. — Isabel Rosales, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026

Verb

Sometimes the very entities owning these hospitals and nursing homes are purposely bankrupting them, pillaging them of their value to maximize the owners’ profits. — Peter Ubel, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026 French money underwrote the American Revolution, bankrupting Louis XVI’s government and paving the way for their own revolution within a decade of the end of the American war. — Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 9 July 2026

Noun

The plan is intended to prevent the company from being dissolved, forced into liquidation or formally declared bankrupt. — Michelle Toh, CNN, 19 May 2020 Ghosn was sent to Japan by Renault in the late 1990s and is credited with turning around a then near-bankrupt Nissan. — Washington Post, 12 Nov. 2019 See All Example Sentences for bankrupt

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bankrupt

Adjective

In a show mostly devoid of explicit messages, the sentiment surprised me.

— Max Norman, New Yorker, 25 June 2026
Players take on the role of a Ditto capable of mimicking its human trainer, and the Pokémon is thrown into a world devoid of humans.

— Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 25 June 2026

Definition of devoid

Verb

Burdick seemed to have drawn directly from McCarthy’s experience, the hopelessness of fighting with his father over a world his father had already ruined, the surrender to indulgence and mindless violence because…why not?

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026
Each room is also outfitted with a Yale smart lock, which means there’s no room for that horrible feeling of losing a room key to ruin your vacation.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of ruin

Noun

He was later found delinquent in Pennsylvania juvenile court.

— Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 16 Sep. 2026
In other words, a $2,000 credit card balance that's 120 days delinquent may get a more generous settlement offer than a $20,000 card balance with payments that are still current.

— Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 31 July 2026

Definition of delinquent

Noun

But if a well is deserted or an operator insolvent, the state can be responsible for plugging it.

— Jemma Stephenson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Feb. 2026
The diocese acknowledged that the value of Diocesan assets available to resolve claims, including any available insurance coverage, may not be sufficient to cover the claims and could leave the diocese insolvent.

— Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2025

Definition of insolvent

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bankrolls

bankrupt

bankruptcies

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“Bankrupt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bankrupt. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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