as in poverty
the state of lacking sufficient money or material possessions
too many people are homeless and living in shameful beggary in this country
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Recent Examples of beggary
Hence his need to construct an elaborate scheme of beggary that seems to have involved the bills being paid initially by the Cabinet office, then by the Conservative Party, then by a private donor, and finally, and only after the whole affair became a political embarrassment, by Johnson himself.
—
Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 13 May 2021
Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 13 May 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beggary
Noun
-
Private schools, particularly Catholic schools, have demonstrated extraordinary success — even in communities struggling with poverty.—
Paul Vallas,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Feb. 2026
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In Detroit, where nearly half of children under 5 years old live below the poverty level, the launch marks the program's largest expansion.—
Nushrat Rahman,
Freep.com,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Embracing misery is one kind of defiance; demanding to be heard is another.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
5 Feb. 2026
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This year, more than usual, a group of Florida lawmakers are clinging to a Biblical-sounding principle — and doing their best to ensure that the wages of sin are, at the very least, misery.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
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In the summer of 2021 protests began over the shortages and the penuries that people had been feeling.—
Caroline Mimbs Nyce,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
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The Legislature, governor and unions need to respect our labor and not tax us into penury.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
28 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Beggary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beggary. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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