DIRT-POOR Synonyms: 64 Similar and Opposite Words

dirt-poor

adjective

ˈdərt-ˈpu̇r

Definition of dirt-poor

as in impoverished

lacking money or material possessions growing up dirt-poor in the rural South

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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 dirt-poor But the Shoutin’, Rick Bragg’s first family memoir about growing up dirt-poor in Alabama. — Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2025 Many readers addressed their fan letters not to the author, Betty Smith, but to her main character, Francie Nolan, a dirt-poor tenement child with big dreams. — Perri Klass, The New Yorker, 30 Dec. 2024 Shot in a single take, Night Shift tells the story of a desperate and dirt-poor Khun (played by Chatchai), who decides to pack things up to have a better life in the city. — Sara Merican, Deadline, 31 Oct. 2024 Roberta Ceretto’s grandfather Riccardo moved to Alba in the 1930s from a dirt-poor village in the high Langhe and found work with a local wine producer. — Lee Marshall, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Mar. 2022 See All Example Sentences for dirt-poor

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dirt-poor

Adjective

The impoverished Reds work as slave labor in the mines of Mars, while the super-strong Golds rule the solar system and war on each other.

— Jordan Moreau, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
Prosecutors accuse him of participating in schemes to divert hundreds of millions of dollars from Venezuelan government programs intended to provide housing, food and other necessities to the country’s impoverished population.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of impoverished

Adjective

Measles usually kills two or three people in every 1,000 cases, the WHO says, but the disease can be more deadly in poorer nations because of factors such as malnutrition.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
That receiver sends that poor defender into next week at the pylon.

— Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of poor

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dirtiness

dirt-poor

dirty

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“Dirt-poor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dirt-poor. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of dirt-poor

adjective

Example Sentences

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