Synonyms of destitute
68 similar words
Another word for destitute is poor. Other synonyms of destitute are void, bankrupt, empty, poverty-stricken and barren.
Synonyms and similar words for destitute
adjectiveLacking something; devoid.
adjectiveLacking money, poor, impoverished; especially, extremely so.
- beggaredPoor; empoverished.
- impecuniousLacking money.
- skint
- almslessNot having any alms; impoverished.
- arm
- badly offIn unfortunate circumstances, especially having financial difficulty.
- bankruptIn a condition of bankruptcy; unable to pay outstanding debts or meet financial obligations; specifically, having been...
- beggarly
- boracic
- brokeWithout any money, penniless.
- brokenHaving no money; bankrupt, broke.
- broker than the Ten CommandmentsExtremely impoverished.
- dirt poor
- disadvantaged
- down and outIn a condition of poverty or debility, especially as a result of experiencing a financial or personal setback.
- down at heel
- down on one's luckUnlucky or undergoing a period of bad luck, especially with respect to financial matters.
- down on one's uppersImpecunious, lacking money.
- empty-handed
- farthinglessWithout a farthing; very poor.
- feeling the pinch
- flat
- goodlessWithout goods or property; destitute.
- hard upLacking money; impecunious; in financial difficulties.
- impoverished
- in need
- indigentPoor; destitute; in need.
- insolvent
- lower-class
- moneylessHaving no (or very little) money.
- necessitousNeedy, indigent, destitute, poor.
- needy
- pauperized
- pennilessLacking even the smallest amount of money.
- penuriousImpoverished; wanting for money.
- pinched
- pok kai slangHaving no money; broke; bankrupt.
- poorWith no or few possessions or money, particularly in relation to contemporaries who do have them.
- poor as a church mouseVery poor, to the point of starving or begging; utterly destitute.
- poor as a ratSynonym of poor as a church mouse.
- poor as JobExtremely poor, destitute.
- possessionlessWithout possessions.
- poverty-ridden
- poverty-strickenVery poor.
- shillinglessWithout a shilling; broke.
- stone-broke
- stony-broke
- strapped
- unwealthyNot wealthy.
- wealthlessHaving little or no wealth; poor.
- depauperate obsolete
- groatless archaic, rareWithout a groat; very poor.
- oofless UK, datedShort of money; poor.
- stuck archaic, slangIn the situation of having no money.
- threadbare archaic, obsoleteOf a person: wearing clothes of threadbare (sense 1) material; hence, impoverished, poor.
verbTo impoverish; to strip of wealth, resources, etc.
- pauperizeTo make someone a pauper; to impoverish.
- ruinTo cause the fiscal ruin of; to bankrupt or drive out of business.
- beggarTo make a beggar of someone; impoverish.
- depauperizeTo impoverish, to make poor (to make depauperate).
- immiserateTo impoverish (someone); to make someone sink into misery.
- impoverish
- embeggar obsolete, rareSynonym of beggar (“to impoverish”).
- empoverish obsolete
- impoor obsoleteTo impoverish.
- poverish obsoleteTo impoverish.
Meaning of destitute
- adjective Lacking something; devoid.
- adjective Lacking money, poor, impoverished; especially, extremely so.
- verb To impoverish; to strip of wealth, resources, etc.
destitute in other languages
Questions about synonyms of destitute
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: destitute (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Cite this page: “Synonyms of destitute.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/destitute. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.