as in impoverished
lacking money or material possessions
growing up dirt-poor in the rural South
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Recent Examples of dirt-poor
Cut to 1981, in a dirt-poor neighbourhood of Santiago de Chile, an adolescent Carlos gets his sneakers stolen by another kid, Clavo.
—
John Hopewell, Variety, 17 Feb. 2026
The company was born from the will of a man who grew up dirt-poor in Baltimore, flunked fifth grade, served in Vietnam and became a billionaire.
—Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Jan. 2026
Think of him as a dirt-poor man’s Brett Favre.
—Vic Tafur, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2026
The tough, ingenious (and dirt-poor) Houthis, protected by Yemen’s mountainous interior, fought back with the tenacity of drug-resistant microbes.
—Seth Harp, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
But the Shoutin’, Rick Bragg’s first family memoir about growing up dirt-poor in Alabama.
—Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2025
Many readers addressed their fan letters not to the author, Betty Smith, but to her main character, Francie Nolan, a dirt-poor tenement child with big dreams.
—Perri Klass, The New Yorker, 30 Dec. 2024
Shot in a single take, Night Shift tells the story of a desperate and dirt-poor Khun (played by Chatchai), who decides to pack things up to have a better life in the city.
—Sara Merican, Deadline, 31 Oct. 2024
My mom grew up with very-not-amicably divorced parents, one of whom (her father) was well-off and the other (her mother, the primary parent) was dirt-poor.
—R29 Team, refinery29.com, 12 Aug. 2024
John Hopewell, Variety, 17 Feb. 2026
The company was born from the will of a man who grew up dirt-poor in Baltimore, flunked fifth grade, served in Vietnam and became a billionaire.
—Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Jan. 2026
Think of him as a dirt-poor man’s Brett Favre.
—Vic Tafur, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2026
The tough, ingenious (and dirt-poor) Houthis, protected by Yemen’s mountainous interior, fought back with the tenacity of drug-resistant microbes.
—Seth Harp, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
But the Shoutin’, Rick Bragg’s first family memoir about growing up dirt-poor in Alabama.
—Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2025
Many readers addressed their fan letters not to the author, Betty Smith, but to her main character, Francie Nolan, a dirt-poor tenement child with big dreams.
—Perri Klass, The New Yorker, 30 Dec. 2024
Shot in a single take, Night Shift tells the story of a desperate and dirt-poor Khun (played by Chatchai), who decides to pack things up to have a better life in the city.
—Sara Merican, Deadline, 31 Oct. 2024
My mom grew up with very-not-amicably divorced parents, one of whom (her father) was well-off and the other (her mother, the primary parent) was dirt-poor.
—R29 Team, refinery29.com, 12 Aug. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dirt-poor
Adjective
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Cities like Chicago — long a haven for Mexican immigrants with ties to families and a community — became landing spots for migrants from increasingly impoverished and authoritarian places such as Venezuela.—
Joe Mahr,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Mar. 2026
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And because of their status, undocumented students are also more likely to come from impoverished backgrounds, says Caitlin Patler, a professor of public policy at UC Berkeley.—
Jonaki Mehta,
NPR,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Serious Medical and Emotional Neglect Turner said Kaiko arrived in poor health, suffering from multiple medical issues and signs of prolonged neglect.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
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The city of Plano scores restaurants on a 100-point system, with 100 considered a perfect score and 70 extremely poor.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dirt-poor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dirt-poor. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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