as in poverty
the state of lacking sufficient money or material possessions
widespread destitution in Third World countries
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Recent Examples of destitution
All that remains of the American Dream is the thin line between wealth and destitution.
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Andy Andersen, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2025
Families face catastrophic conditions More than half a million people in Gaza are trapped in famine, marked by widespread starvation, destitution and preventable deaths, according to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis, released today.
—Sarah Ferguson, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
More Bashar Taleb/Getty Images What To Know The IPC, a global initiative led by UN agencies, governments, and aid groups, elevated Gaza Governorate, which includes Gaza City, to Phase 5—the highest level of food insecurity—marked by starvation, destitution, and death.
—Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
Trapped in a Malthusian race between population and sustenance, societies remained on the brink of destitution until well into the nineteenth century.
—Jacob S. Hacker, Foreign Affairs, 21 Mar. 2016
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Recent Examples of Synonyms for destitution
Noun
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The funding went toward three federal programs, two of which focus on lifting families with children out of poverty.—
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As a group, Native Americans face high rates of poverty, chronic disease, and mental illness — all are risk factors for addiction.—
Noun
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Others though, like benzodiazepines, have wildly missed the mark, causing decades of unintended consequences and human misery.—
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Instead of getting used to the smells, her misery intensified with each passing day.—
Cite this Entry
“Destitution.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/destitution. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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