1
as in impoverished
lacking money or material possessions
every year, we make up a basket of food at Thanksgiving for a poor family in the neighborhood
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in desolate
producing inferior or only a small amount of vegetation
land that is too poor for farming
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in scarce
less plentiful than what is normal, necessary, or desirable
a poor crop because of the drought this year
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard
a pretty poor musician, even for a garage band
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in terrible
of low quality
the poor workmanship of the goods from that store
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in pitiful
deserving of one's pity
aw, the poor kitten hurt its paw
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of poor
The Prince of Wales arrived in Riyadh yesterday, on a three-day visit aimed at strengthening relations with a key allied power in the Middle East, despite its infamously poor human rights record.
—
Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 10 Feb. 2026
High-income neighborhoods had farmers markets and bespoke butchers, but poor ones remained food deserts.
—Annie Levin, Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2026
Placed in the context of rural Mexico, this was a common way for poor people to evade both the cost of a civil marriage and, at times, the authority of the family.
—Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026
The launch of a mission to send the next group of astronauts to the International Space Station has slipped another two days as poor weather in Florida continues to be a factor.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for poor
Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 10 Feb. 2026
High-income neighborhoods had farmers markets and bespoke butchers, but poor ones remained food deserts.
—Annie Levin, Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2026
Placed in the context of rural Mexico, this was a common way for poor people to evade both the cost of a civil marriage and, at times, the authority of the family.
—Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026
The launch of a mission to send the next group of astronauts to the International Space Station has slipped another two days as poor weather in Florida continues to be a factor.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for poor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poor
Adjective
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Pilgrims also threw in coins as offerings, some later retrieved by impoverished people to survive.—
Norma Meyer,
Oc Register,
4 Feb. 2026
-
The penultimate episode saw Deathclaws descending on Freeside, an impoverished community on the fringes of New Vegas.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Tennyson spent the rest of his life returning to that desolate seascape, literally but also literarily.—
Kathryn Schulz,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
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The word that came to mind was desolate.—
Ken Harbaugh,
The Atlantic,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Although plants played a central role in subsistence for centuries, Neolithic communities heavily relied on human and animal figures, with scarce traces of plant visual representation, such as flowers, shrubs, and branches.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
7 Feb. 2026
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For fans, that means tickets available at face value are scarce.—
Julian Torres,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Local officials criticized the FAA for imposing the closure without advance notice or coordination, calling the lack of communication unacceptable.—
Seung Min Kim,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
-
That failure to communicate is unacceptable.—
Jay Blackman,
NBC news,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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America just passed the 50th anniversary of one of its truly terrible days — one that future historians can track as the beginning of the end of our democracy.—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Busch was terrible defensively at third.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Mercy came via a bye week, the pitiful Raiders and an inept Cowboys defense.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Jan. 2026
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Writer-director Craig Brewer resists the temptation to make Mike and Claire in any way pitiful or worthy of derision.—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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And Cannon — who played with the Houston Oilers, Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs — admitted to counterfeiting in the mid-1980s after a series of bad investments and debts left him broke.—
Seung Min Kim,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
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But the problem wasn’t going away, and now Perardi was broke.—
Matthew Bremner,
Rolling Stone,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The few remaining individuals live in barren, rugged terrain at high elevations.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
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In other games during the barren run, chances have been created and squandered.—
Andy Naylor,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Poor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poor. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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