poorness

noun

Definition of poornessnext
as in poverty
the state of lacking sufficient money or material possessions each country has its own standard of poorness, and one nation's needy inhabitant can be another's fairly well-off citizen

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for poorness
  1. poverty
  2. impoverishment
  3. indigence
  4. penury
Noun
  • Families with household income up to 400% of the federal poverty level qualify, meaning a family of four earning up to $132,000 a year could apply for the 2026–27 school year.
    — Fernanda Tronco, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
  • His supporters point to other parts of his record, including reductions in poverty and efforts to protect the Amazon rainforest.
    — Catherine Osborn, NPR, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of poverty
Noun
  • Iranian society is facing years of impoverishment and insecurity.
    — Ali Vaez, Foreign Affairs, 29 Sep. 2026
  • His subjects are voluntary members of the American elite who were at no risk of imprisonment or impoverishment.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of impoverishment
Noun
  • His legal team also filed a separate motion requesting a public defender be assigned to his case, citing indigence.
    — Jessica Sager, People.com, 8 Mar. 2025
  • The ceaseless movement of staff around the world compounds this nebulous sensation of perpetual indigence.
    — Nick Foulkes, theweek, 7 Nov. 2024
Definition of indigence
Noun
  • Trump has squeezed tight on the island’s already ailing economy, with a de facto blockade on the importation of oil bringing Cuba to virtual penury.
    — Niall Stanage, The Hill, 20 May 2026
  • Such claims of penury, however, were difficult to square with certain facts.
    — Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Definition of penury
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.

Browse Nearby Words

poor-mouths
poorness
poor-spirited
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Poorness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poorness. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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