1
as in misery
the state of lacking sufficient money or material possessions
he dreamed of finding a good job and working his way out of poverty and debt
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in shortage
a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number
a poverty of information about the new policies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of poverty
Fighting poverty in Guatemala Many of the 18 million people who call Guatemala home live in poverty — including 60 percent of children and adolescents.
—
Courtney Busch, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
The county had high rates of poverty and poor health already, and the healthy foods people needed to manage the disease were also hard to find after the storm.
—Lori Hunter, The Conversation, 8 July 2025
The Advertiser was edited by Samuel Adams for artisans and laborers fired up by their successful resistance to impressment—the Navy’s effort to grab men for forced service—and concerned about rising poverty in the postwar depression.
—Time, 7 July 2025
Norms are being shattered, aid budgets for the poorest and most vulnerable are being slashed, and for the first time in a generation, extreme poverty has been on the rise.
—Michael Sheldrick, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for poverty
Courtney Busch, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
The county had high rates of poverty and poor health already, and the healthy foods people needed to manage the disease were also hard to find after the storm.
—Lori Hunter, The Conversation, 8 July 2025
The Advertiser was edited by Samuel Adams for artisans and laborers fired up by their successful resistance to impressment—the Navy’s effort to grab men for forced service—and concerned about rising poverty in the postwar depression.
—Time, 7 July 2025
Norms are being shattered, aid budgets for the poorest and most vulnerable are being slashed, and for the first time in a generation, extreme poverty has been on the rise.
—Michael Sheldrick, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for poverty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poverty
Noun
-
Fortune said Thursday that the Obama administration gave Haitians temporary protective status after an earthquake devastated Haiti, multiplying the island’s many miseries.—
Mark Pazniokas,
Hartford Courant,
3 July 2025
-
The season ends with so many of the characters on the verge of a path to proper fulfillment; why prolong their misery?—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
26 June 2025
Noun
-
Meanwhile, Californians feel the effects of the shortage of at least 3 million homes in their pocketbooks.—
Laura Friedman,
Oc Register,
7 July 2025
-
Raising a dam also raises the risk of downstream water shortages, ecological disruption, and international tension.—
Joe Salas
July 06,
New Atlas,
6 July 2025
Noun
-
Some of the tweaks to personnel have been born out of necessity, through suspensions (Nicolas Jackson, Moises Caicedo, Levi Colwill and Liam Delap) or injury niggles (e.g. Romeo Lavia and Reece James).—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
11 July 2025
-
Pool had been working non-stop since the flood, seeming to be powered by a mix of necessity and purpose.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
11 July 2025
Noun
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As a result, the carbon dioxide isn't replenished and, along with other mechanisms like the solar winds and the lack of magnetic field, the result was a feedback process that bled off more and more of the atmosphere as more and more of the carbon dioxide was sealed in the minerals.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
12 July 2025
-
The lack of responsibility is built into the City Charter.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
12 July 2025
Noun
-
All the hallmarks of American poverty — bad food, obesity and urban blight — coalesced in an apocalyptic scene of destitution and vagrancy.—
Andrew Moore,
New York Times,
15 May 2025
-
That means at least one in five people or households severely lack food and face starvation and destitution.—
Edith M. Lederer,
Los Angeles Times,
5 June 2025
Noun
-
If the deficiency is prolonged, the plant may stop flowering and fruiting altogether.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
7 July 2025
-
The issue was also declared a significant deficiency in 2020, and Wyandotte officials pledged to begin implementing a residential protection program.—
Keith Matheny,
Freep.com,
5 July 2025
Noun
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In Five Minutes Sleep deprivation affects millions of Americans, with approximately 70 million people suffering from chronic sleep problems according to health authorities.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
5 July 2025
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Without this phase of sleep, horses can suffer from REM deprivation, leading to drowsiness and even collapse.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 June 2025
Noun
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The city implemented its program in 1997 amid a broader underfunding of the pension system, which eventually tanked the city’s credit rating, grew its deficit and led to resignations of top city officials and federal investigations.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 July 2025
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Mariners starter Bryan Woo held the Yankees hitless through seven innings, but the Yankees erupted for three runs against Woo and reliever Matt Brash in the eighth, cutting their deficit to 5-3.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
11 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Poverty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poverty. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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