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
Try This Instead
Try This InsteadFor
Try This
poor quality
a poor judgment
an unwise judgment
a lousy judgment
a questionable judgment
a horrible judgment
an improper judgment
a poor performance
a weak performance
an unacceptable performance
a negative performance
an inadequate performance
a horrendous performance
a poor condition
a deteriorated condition
a shabby condition
a sub-par condition
a shoddy condition
a pitiful condition
poor nutrition
unbalanced nutrition
improper nutrition
deficient nutrition
unhealthy nutrition
insufficient nutrition
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of poor
Of course, poor Michael Landon had passed away way too young.
—
Angela Andaloro, People.com, 23 July 2025
Taking too many is poor etiquette and inconsiderate to other shoppers.
—Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 July 2025
Because her judgment is so poor, your aggressively driving grandmother should not be behind the wheel.
—Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 23 July 2025
But the strategy has backfired, and only made the shopkeepers poorer, and angrier.
—Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for poor
Angela Andaloro, People.com, 23 July 2025
Taking too many is poor etiquette and inconsiderate to other shoppers.
—Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 July 2025
Because her judgment is so poor, your aggressively driving grandmother should not be behind the wheel.
—Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 23 July 2025
But the strategy has backfired, and only made the shopkeepers poorer, and angrier.
—Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for poor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poor
Adjective
-
Will parts of Norway look like Nauru, a formerly lush tropical paradise stripped of its phosphate rock, and now a barren, impoverished cautionary tale?—
Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
-
The owner had purchased it in 2006 through a federal mortgage program designed specifically for people like her: impoverished, first-time homeowners who live in the most rural parts of the United States.—
ProPublica,
ProPublica,
20 July 2025
Adjective
-
Padam and Tulsi, whose remote Himalayan village has become increasingly desolate as families migrate to cities, leaving the pair to wonder who will perform their last rites.—
Variety Staff,
Variety,
25 July 2025
-
Imagine how desolate the Democrats are that a Democrat running on affordability is an anti-establishment Democrat.—
Ted Reed,
Forbes.com,
16 July 2025
Adjective
-
While specific details of his early childhood are scarce, Weller came of age during a time when distilling was a booming regional industry, often run by farmers and small-business operators who combined their agricultural production with whiskey making.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
26 July 2025
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Details after paramedics whisked Valdes away are scarce, her friend says, as no one was allowed to ride with her to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, where she was later pronounced dead.—
Isabel Rivera,
Miami Herald,
24 July 2025
Adjective
-
In his short stint in Scranton, that number has come down a hair, but still resides at an unacceptable 29.4%.—
Aaliyan Mohammed,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 July 2025
-
Republicans were more evenly split, with 38% calling it unacceptable and 32% labeling it as acceptable.—
Brendan Rascius,
Miami Herald,
22 July 2025
Adjective
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Friday was particularly unsettling as terrible jobs data slammed the market and triggered President Donald Trump .—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
2 Aug. 2025
-
My heart goes out to all of the Jewish children, grandchildren and future great-grandchildren who must ultimately bear the brunt of the terrible additional worldwide antisemitism caused directly by the horrific actions of the Israeli government over the past two years.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
2 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Once Bernstein landed on broadcast television, in the mid-fifties, such guides looked pitiful.—
David Denby,
New Yorker,
20 July 2025
-
The real version of Dave is equal parts pitiful and menacing, seductive and unable to fully pass himself as a normal person.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
28 June 2025
Adjective
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All the while Lucy finds herself in a love triangle torn between a wealthy finance man and a broke, aspiring actor.—
Yola Robert,
Forbes.com,
26 July 2025
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None of that foursome broke camp on Toronto’s Opening Day roster.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
7 July 2025
Adjective
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Then there is Canada and Greenland’s beef over the uninhabited Hans Island, a barren spit in the Kennedy Channel.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
25 July 2025
-
Brown, barren, patchy spots in your lawn can be unsightly.—
Cody Godwin,
USA Today,
24 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Poor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poor. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
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