as in poverty
the state of lacking sufficient money or material possessions
widespread destitution in Third World countries
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Recent Examples of destitution
All that remains of the American Dream is the thin line between wealth and destitution.
—
Andy Andersen, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2025
Families face catastrophic conditions More than half a million people in Gaza are trapped in famine, marked by widespread starvation, destitution and preventable deaths, according to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis, released today.
—Sarah Ferguson, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
More Bashar Taleb/Getty Images What To Know The IPC, a global initiative led by UN agencies, governments, and aid groups, elevated Gaza Governorate, which includes Gaza City, to Phase 5—the highest level of food insecurity—marked by starvation, destitution, and death.
—Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
Trapped in a Malthusian race between population and sustenance, societies remained on the brink of destitution until well into the nineteenth century.
—Jacob S. Hacker, Foreign Affairs, 21 Mar. 2016
See All Example Sentences for destitution
Andy Andersen, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2025
Families face catastrophic conditions More than half a million people in Gaza are trapped in famine, marked by widespread starvation, destitution and preventable deaths, according to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis, released today.
—Sarah Ferguson, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
More Bashar Taleb/Getty Images What To Know The IPC, a global initiative led by UN agencies, governments, and aid groups, elevated Gaza Governorate, which includes Gaza City, to Phase 5—the highest level of food insecurity—marked by starvation, destitution, and death.
—Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
Trapped in a Malthusian race between population and sustenance, societies remained on the brink of destitution until well into the nineteenth century.
—Jacob S. Hacker, Foreign Affairs, 21 Mar. 2016
See All Example Sentences for destitution
Recent Examples of Synonyms for destitution
Noun
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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
Cite this Entry
“Destitution.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/destitution. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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