POVERTY-STRICKEN Synonyms: 64 Similar and Opposite Words

poverty-stricken

adjective

ˈpä-vər-tē-ˌstri-kən

Definition of poverty-stricken

as in impoverished

lacking money or material possessions poverty-stricken immigrants struggling to make ends meet

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of poverty-stricken The family was poverty-stricken, living in a small apartment. — Jan Goldsmith, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 May 2026 That’s a long way from living in motels and stealing steaks from grocery stores during his more humble days of being poverty-stricken. — Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 28 Feb. 2025 At the time, Whitechapel was poverty-stricken and overcrowded, with over 76,000 people populating its dilapidated avenues and dwellings. — Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 18 Jan. 2024 During and after the Great Depression, the Tennessee Valley Authority built dozens of hydroelectric dams, bringing electricity and flood control to the most remote and poverty-stricken hollows of Appalachia. — Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 29 June 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for poverty-stricken

Adjective

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.

— Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
Known as a Neglected Tropical Disease because of the lack of funding to fight it, schistosomiasis is a serious challenge for impoverished communities.

— William McCarthy, NPR, 4 July 2026

Definition of impoverished

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poverty

poverty-stricken

powder

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“Poverty-stricken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poverty-stricken. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of poverty-stricken

adjective

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