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
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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
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Recent Examples of poor
Insecurity in farming communities, weak productivity, inadequate extension services and poor incentives have severely undermined cotton cultivation.
—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Footwear News,
6 July 2026
Privately, several developers in the state say that finding someone new to line up financing for 402 market-rate apartments in a relatively poor community like East Hartford wouldn’t be easy.
—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
6 July 2026
Traditionally, it’s considered poor etiquette for wedding guests to wear white or similar shades, as this can take attention away from the bride.
—
Allison Degrushe,
StyleCaster,
6 July 2026
Yet research consistently links heavy smartphone and social media use among children and adolescents to poor sleep, anxiety and depression, bullying, attention difficulties and academic challenges.
—
Elizabeth Dowdell,
The Conversation,
6 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for poor
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Footwear News,
6 July 2026
Privately, several developers in the state say that finding someone new to line up financing for 402 market-rate apartments in a relatively poor community like East Hartford wouldn’t be easy.
—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
6 July 2026
Traditionally, it’s considered poor etiquette for wedding guests to wear white or similar shades, as this can take attention away from the bride.
—
Allison Degrushe,
StyleCaster,
6 July 2026
Yet research consistently links heavy smartphone and social media use among children and adolescents to poor sleep, anxiety and depression, bullying, attention difficulties and academic challenges.
—
Elizabeth Dowdell,
The Conversation,
6 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for poor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poor
Adjective
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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.
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Known as a Neglected Tropical Disease because of the lack of funding to fight it, schistosomiasis is a serious challenge for impoverished communities.
Adjective
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Walking around the tiny outpost offers an understanding of just how vast and desolate this arid part of the country can be.
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In the summer it had been packed with people out on the streets, by the fall is was desolate.
Adjective
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Rats are burrowing into aid parcels, forcing people to throw away scarce rice or flour supplies.
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Managing scarcity through digital modeling While deuterium is highly abundant and easily extracted from standard seawater, tritium is exceedingly scarce in nature.
Adjective
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In their grievance letter, the detainees called the markups an unacceptable business practice with no apparent limit.
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Overt racial prejudice, long considered socially unacceptable, is increasingly visible in public life, marking a shift from previously subtle forms.
Adjective
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Thank you to everyone who read or contributed to this column over the years, who reached out to me with story ideas or tips, or complimented my terrible artwork.
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Visitors will see his Rough Riders uniform; the 1884 diary grieving his terrible loss; and the eyeglasses case, speech and shirt from the 1912 assassination attempt against him.
Adjective
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Completing the hat trick in pitiful style, Taking on the World was shot on a shoestring budget, helmed by the man behind Highlander III, and forced to rely on stock footage of real-life footballers.
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Given the national team’s pitiful demise at the Oval, with New Zealand completing victory on the fifth morning, Ben Stokes’ revival in absentia feels like the only consolation from a miserable week.
Adjective
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There were complaints about the car traffic and the financial cost to the broke city.
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Three years into his term, America wasn't broke, but the stock market did experience some of its biggest single-day losses during the coronavirus pandemic.
Adjective
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The fires eviscerated many of the plants and trees in and around the burn zones, leaving behind barren lots and charred swaths of parkland.
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There are quite a few interesting options this summer, especially compared to last year’s barren goalie landscape that was headlined by veteran backups.
Cite this Entry
“Poor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poor. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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