POVERTY-STRICKEN Synonyms: 64 Similar and Opposite Words

poverty-stricken

adjective

ˈpä-vər-tē-ˌstri-kən

Definition of poverty-stricken

as in impoverished

lacking money or material possessions poverty-stricken immigrants struggling to make ends meet

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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 poverty-stricken The family was poverty-stricken, living in a small apartment. — Jan Goldsmith, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 May 2026 During and after the Great Depression, the Tennessee Valley Authority built dozens of hydroelectric dams, bringing electricity and flood control to the most remote and poverty-stricken hollows of Appalachia. — Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 29 June 2025 That’s a long way from living in motels and stealing steaks from grocery stores during his more humble days of being poverty-stricken. — Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 28 Feb. 2025 At the time, Whitechapel was poverty-stricken and overcrowded, with over 76,000 people populating its dilapidated avenues and dwellings. — Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 18 Jan. 2024

Recent Examples of Synonyms for poverty-stricken

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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poverty

poverty-stricken

powder

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

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Synonyms of poverty-stricken

adjective

Example Sentences

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