Poverty — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun /ˈpä-vər-tē/ pov·er·ty

Meaning & Definition of Poverty

Poverty (noun)

  1. the state of one who lacks a sufficient amount of money or material possessions, the state of being poor; specifically, the state of one whose income is below the poverty line
  2. renunciation as a member of a religious order of the right as an individual to own property
  3. scarcity, dearth

Poverty (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. the state of lacking sufficient money or material possessions

    "he dreamed of finding a good job and working his way out of poverty and debt"

    similar: beggary, destituteness, destitution, impecuniosity, impecuniousness, impoverishment, indigence, necessity, need, neediness, pauperism, penuriousness, penury, poorness, want
    related: gutter, misery, woe, wretchedness, exigency, emergency, rainy day, austerity, deprivation, privation, bankruptcy, insolvency, belt-tightening, pinching, straitening
    opposite: affluence, opulence, richness, wealth, wealthiness
    near: luxury, prosperity

  2. a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number

    "a poverty of information about the new policies"

    similar: crunch, dearth, deficiency, deficit, drought, failure, famine, inadequacy, inadequateness, insufficiency, lack, lacuna, paucity, pinch, scantiness, scarceness, scarcity, shortage, undersupply, want
    related: absence, omission, meagerness, poorness, skimpiness, necessity, need, privation
    opposite: abundance, adequacy, amplitude, opulence, plenitude, plenty, sufficiency, wealth
    near: bountifulness, copiousness, excess, overabundance, oversupply, surfeit, surplus

Related Entry: Poverty-stricken (adjective)

Poverty-stricken is a different word from Poverty. The synonyms below are for poverty-stricken, not for poverty.

  1. lacking money or material possessions

    "poverty-stricken immigrants struggling to make ends meet"

    similar: beggared, beggarly, broke, destitute, dirt-poor, down-and-out, famished, hard up, impecunious, impoverished, indigent, necessitous, needful, needy, pauperized, penniless, penurious, poor, skint (chiefly British), threadbare, down on one's luck, out at elbows, out of pocket
    related: deprived, disadvantaged, dispossessed, unaffluent, underprivileged, bankrupt, bankrupted, bust, insolvent, possessionless, ruined, depressed, distressed, hand-to-mouth, hardscrabble, pinched, poorish, reduced, straitened, cash-strapped, low, short, tapped out
    opposite: affluent, deep-pocketed, fat, fat-cat, flush, moneyed, opulent, rich, silk-stocking, wealthy, well-heeled, well-off, well-to-do
    near: comfortable, prosperous

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Poverty

The most common words with a similar meaning to Poverty:

beggary, destituteness, destitution, impecuniosity, impecuniousness, impoverishment, indigence, necessity, need, neediness, pauperism, penuriousness, penury, poorness, want, crunch, dearth, deficiency, deficit, drought, failure, famine, inadequacy, inadequateness, insufficiency, lack, lacuna, paucity, pinch, scantiness, scarceness, scarcity, shortage, undersupply

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Poverty

Words with the opposite meaning of Poverty:

affluence, opulence, richness, wealth, wealthiness, abundance, adequacy, amplitude, plenitude, plenty, sufficiency

Related Words for Poverty

gutter, misery, woe, wretchedness, exigency, emergency, rainy day, austerity, deprivation, privation, bankruptcy, insolvency, belt-tightening, pinching, straitening, absence, omission, meagerness, skimpiness

Near Antonyms of Poverty

luxury, prosperity, bountifulness, copiousness, excess, overabundance, oversupply, surfeit, surplus

Origin & Etymology of Poverty

Middle English poverte, from Anglo-French poverté, from Latin paupertat-, paupertas, from pauper poor poor

First known use: 13th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Poverty

Words & Phrases Containing Poverty

poverty line, poverty-stricken, poverty trap, anti-poverty, the poverty line

Frequently Asked Questions about Poverty

What does "Poverty" mean?

"Poverty" means the state of one who lacks a sufficient amount of money or material possessions, the state of being poor; specifically, the state of one whose income is below the poverty line. As a noun, it is defined as: the state of one who lacks a sufficient amount of money or material possessions, the state of being poor; specifically, the state of one whose income is below the poverty line. It has 2 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Poverty"?

Other words for "Poverty" include beggary, destituteness, destitution, impecuniosity, impecuniousness, impoverishment, indigence and necessity. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Poverty" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Poverty"?

There are 53 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Poverty". Common alternatives include beggary, destituteness, destitution, impecuniosity, impecuniousness, impoverishment, indigence, necessity, need and neediness.

What is the opposite of "Poverty"?

Antonyms of "Poverty" include affluence, opulence, richness, wealth, wealthiness, abundance, adequacy and amplitude. Near antonyms include luxury, prosperity, bountifulness and copiousness.

How do you use "Poverty" in a sentence?

Examples of "Poverty" in a sentence: "he dreamed of finding a good job and working his way out of poverty and debt"; "a poverty of information about the new policies".

Is "Poverty" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Poverty" is a noun.

Is "Poverty" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B1-level word, "Poverty" is typical of Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET), IELTS band 4.0–5.0, TOEFL iBT 42–71, PTE Academic 43–58, TOEIC Listening & Reading 550+.

How do you pronounce "Poverty"?

"Poverty" is pronounced /ˈpä-vər-tē/ and divided into syllables as pov·er·ty.