as in impoverished
lacking money or material possessions
because he was indigent, the court appointed a lawyer to represent him
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in pauper
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of indigent
Brittany Wallman,
Miami Herald,
13 June 2026
The 41-person state agency contracts with private defense attorneys to represent indigent defendants who cannot be represented by the Office of the State Public Defender, typically when public defenders have conflicts of interest.
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Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
4 June 2026
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for indigent
Adjective
Declared indigent, he was represented by a series of Broward public defenders until the office asked to be removed from the case, citing a conflict of interest.
—
Brittany Wallman,
Miami Herald,
13 June 2026
The 41-person state agency contracts with private defense attorneys to represent indigent defendants who cannot be represented by the Office of the State Public Defender, typically when public defenders have conflicts of interest.
—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
4 June 2026
Noun
Lower than proletariat workers, the lumpenproletariat includes the indigent and the unemployable, those cast out of the workforce with no recourse, or those who can’t enter it in the first place, such as young workers in times of economic depression.
—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for indigent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for indigent
Adjective
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This British drama series follows a woman named Emma over the course of more than six decades of her life, from the 1900s through the 1970s, working her way from impoverished maid to the world’s richest woman.
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Known as a Neglected Tropical Disease because of the lack of funding to fight it, schistosomiasis is a serious challenge for impoverished communities.
Noun
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Stock Chart IconStock chart icon Gold not glittering As for gold, while the yellow metal has traditionally been sought out by kings and paupers throughout history alike, the anaemic gold price has puzzled experts.
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Bournemouth are not a pauper club any more, but the performance this season has still be remarkable.
Adjective
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Because of that, these hands suffer from high production costs, poor durability against impacts, short operational lifespans, and there are no existing solutions that engineers can readily draw upon, Wang added.
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The extreme heat can also affect people who are physically ill, especially those with heart disease or high blood pressure, or who take certain medications, such as for depression, insomnia, or poor circulation.
Noun
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Historically in Chicago, parent fundraising has been a story of have versus have-not schools, a dynamic threatening to drive deeper inequity in a segregated district.
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Often, football is described as a game of haves and have-nots.
Cite this Entry
“Indigent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/indigent. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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