impoverished
adjective
im·pov·er·ished
im-ˈpä-v(ə-)risht 
1
: reduced to poverty : poor
an impoverished family/community
2
: exhausted of richness or fertility
impoverished soils
3
of a fauna or flora
: represented by few species or individuals
Examples of impoverished in a Sentence
the widespread hope that the lottery's record-setting jackpot is won by an impoverished family
an impoverished field that over the years had been overgrazed
Recent Examples on the Web
Miss Lonelyhearts—who is actually a man—is an advice columnist receiving letters from people who are impoverished, in despair, and surrounded by an atmosphere of moral depravity and incipient fascism.
—
The New Yorker, New Yorker, 16 July 2025
Some of the city's most impoverished communities also wrestle with the highest rates of afflictions like heart disease, and research suggests more tree canopy and green spaces can reduce these risks, in addition to benefiting stress levels and general quality of life.
—Connor Giffin, The Courier-Journal, 3 July 2025
Will parts of Norway look like Nauru, a formerly lush tropical paradise stripped of its phosphate rock, and now a barren, impoverished cautionary tale?
—Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
The owner had purchased it in 2006 through a federal mortgage program designed specifically for people like her: impoverished, first-time homeowners who live in the most rural parts of the United States.
—ProPublica, 20 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for impoverished
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The New Yorker, New Yorker, 16 July 2025
Some of the city's most impoverished communities also wrestle with the highest rates of afflictions like heart disease, and research suggests more tree canopy and green spaces can reduce these risks, in addition to benefiting stress levels and general quality of life.
—Connor Giffin, The Courier-Journal, 3 July 2025
Will parts of Norway look like Nauru, a formerly lush tropical paradise stripped of its phosphate rock, and now a barren, impoverished cautionary tale?
—Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
The owner had purchased it in 2006 through a federal mortgage program designed specifically for people like her: impoverished, first-time homeowners who live in the most rural parts of the United States.
—ProPublica, 20 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for impoverished
Cite this Entry
“Impoverished.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impoverished. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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