poor

adjective

ˈpu̇r How to pronounce poor (audio)
Definition of poornext
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

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2
as in desolate
producing inferior or only a small amount of vegetation land that is too poor for farming

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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

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4
as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard a pretty poor musician, even for a garage band

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5
as in terrible
of low quality the poor workmanship of the goods from that store

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6
as in pitiful
deserving of one's pity aw, the poor kitten hurt its paw

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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 poor The second was when Lula, in response, called Flávio Bolsonaro a vigilante, in a reference to groups linked to policemen that are operating in poor communities in Rio de Janeiro. — ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026 And not to stress anybody out further, but high cortisol suppresses your immune system and increases inflammation, both of which lead to things like quicker aging and poor long-term health outcomes. — Alessandra Codinha, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026 As French protesters took to the street this week over the country’s escalating debt crisis, poor school conditions, and political gridlock, retailers were caught in the crossfire. — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026 During his two terms, from 2002 to 2006, Brazil saw rising employment, a higher minimum wage and a major expansion of consumer power among poorer Brazilians, according to Brazil’s official census. — Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for poor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poor
  1. impoverished
  2. desolate
  3. scarce
  4. unacceptable
  5. terrible
  6. pitiful
  7. broke
  8. barren
Adjective
  • The impoverished Reds work as slave labor in the mines of Mars, while the super-strong Golds rule the solar system and war on each other.
    — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Prosecutors accuse him of participating in schemes to divert hundreds of millions of dollars from Venezuelan government programs intended to provide housing, food and other necessities to the country’s impoverished population.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of impoverished
Adjective
  • The road that leads to the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women is long and desolate.
    — Anja Aronowsky Cronberg, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2026
  • As filmmakers, they were drawn to the unexpected beauty of the desolate, postindustrial landscape.
    — Kim Velsey, Curbed, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of desolate
Adjective
  • Dire situation in Oleshky Food and medical supplies have been scarce for months in Oleshky, which sits on the Dnipro River that separates Ukrainian forces from the city’s Russian occupiers.
    — ben Finley, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Huang said that the allocation of energy — which is scarce in the region — to companies like Nebius and Mistral is crucial for their growth.
    — Sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of scarce
Adjective
  • These efforts should be lauded because lawyering solely to please Trump without an iota of reasonableness according to prescribed rules of law to which all lawyers must adhered is simply unacceptable.
    — Miles J. Zaremski, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Oct. 2026
  • But critics, like the Civic Federation, are denouncing the budget plan, calling it an unacceptable abdication of responsibility to meet the fiscal realities facing the city.
    — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of unacceptable
Adjective
  • His teams are terrible just before halftime, having been outscored 107-6 in the coach's 24 games.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2026
  • If the purpose of buying a suit were merely obtaining clothing, three fittings would be terrible service.
    — Anna van Praagh, Robb Report, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of terrible
Adjective
  • Just 7% of Democrats approve, along with a pitiful 12% of independents.
    — Jon Keller, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Herbert's six interceptions is only surpassed by Drake Maye's pitiful start to the season.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of pitiful
Adjective
  • Morning Glory Milking Farm is the tale of a broke postgraduate who takes a job collecting minotaur semen for a pharmaceutical company.
    — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Chastain goes for broke with melodrama as both the real and fake Mommies.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of broke
Adjective
  • These bright spots in an otherwise barren season for curve representation weren’t necessarily novel.
    — Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Research into turning Martian dust into material that supports plant growth highlights how much work remains to make barren planetary materials useful for agriculture.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of barren

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pooped
poor
poorish
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Cite this Entry

“Poor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poor. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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