Synonyms for poor
- adjective
- verb
Most common
needy indigent destitute impoverished wretched bad inadequate pitiful
Synonyms by meaning
Adjective
1. Needy — with no or few possessions or money, particularly in relation to contemporaries who do have them
needy, indigent, destitute, impoverished, impecunious, poverty-stricken, penniless, hard up, pinched, broke, badly off, stone-broke, bankrupt, poverty-ridden, skint slang UK IE
2. Wretched — of low quality
wretched, bad, weak, low, mean, inferior, lousy informal, sorry, cheap, sub-standard, shoddy, low-quality, bad off, second-rate, crummy informal, flimsy, trashy, third-rate, lame, slim UK, shabby, small
3. Inadequate — inadequate, insufficient
inadequate, insufficient, deficient, unsatisfactory, meager US CA, meagre UK, scanty, paltry, dismal, lean, spare, scarce, slender, emaciated, thin, scrawny, unacceptable, sparse, defective
4. Pitiful — worthy of pity
pitiful, miserable, pathetic, pitiable, unfortunate, unhappy, piteous, unlucky, feeble, hapless, luckless, haggard, despicable, distressed, contemptible, abject, sad slang
Verb
Definitions
- adj. 1
With no or few possessions or money, particularly in relation to contemporaries who do have them.
We were so poor that we couldn't afford shoes.
- adj. 2
Of low quality.
That was a poor performance.
- adj. 3
Worthy of pity.
Oh, you poor thing, you're drenched!
- v. 1
Synonym of impoverish, to make poor.
It is very evident that Americans are being ‘poored down’ to suit the world socialist agenda, and to maximize profits for the international corporations.
Related words
Forms
- Past participle
- poored
e.g. poored → beggared, ruined…
Example sentences
- needy The socially needy receive an additional allowance.
- impoverished The war lasting for years impoverished the country.
- destitute It was there that this destitute child was born.
- indigent Being indigent is a misfortune, not a crime.
- sorry I'm sorry to say, but the service isn't very good.
- cheap It is cheap, but on the other hand it is not good.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| poor | steady | |
| needy | falling | |
| impoverished | rising | |
| destitute | steady | |
| indigent | falling | |
| sorry | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 3 letters
- bad1, low1, sad1
- 4 letters
- mean1, weak1, thin1, ruin2, lean1, lame1, slim1, meek1
- 5 letters
- small1, sorry2, broke1, cheap1, spare1, needy2, lousy2, lowly2, skint
- 6 letters
- humble2, modest2, scarce1, sparse1, shabby2, dismal2, feeble2, beggar2, flimsy2, trashy2, shoddy2, meager2, abject2, meagre
- 7 letters
- unhappy3, slender2, unlucky3, pitiful3, pinched1, hapless2, haggard2, scrawny2, piteous
- 8 letters
- pathetic3, inferior4, bankrupt2, wretched2, indigent3, pitiable4, luckless2
- 9 letters
- miserable4, defective3, deficient3, destitute3, penniless3, emaciated5
- 10 letters
- inadequate4, distressed2, despicable4
- 11 letters
- unfortunate4, impecunious
- 12 letters
- unacceptable5, insufficient4, impoverished3, contemptible4
- 14 letters
- unsatisfactory6
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (ruin2 = 2 syllables).