indigence
Usage
What are other ways to say indigence?
Indigence denotes a severely impoverished condition marked by hardship and the lack of any of life’s comforts: reduced to a life of indigence. Destitution, a somewhat literary word, implies a state of having absolutely none of the necessities of life: widespread destitution in countries at war. Poverty denotes serious lack of the means for proper existence: living in a state of extreme poverty.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Bobby, perhaps because of the indigence of his childhood, hated the idea of people making money off his name.
From Literature
Black and Hispanic Americans escaped indigence in record numbers.
From Washington Post
The challenges of Maloney’s background — familial trauma, poor medical care, occasional indigence — form part of the back story, but they are ultimately beside the point of this book.
From New York Times
Reflecting on his upbringing, he recalled that he began to understand the realities of both injustice and indigence when his bicycle was stolen and his parents told him they could not afford to replace it.
From Washington Post
It is a fine thing, reader, to be lifted in a moment from indigence to wealth—a very fine thing; but not a matter one can comprehend, or consequently enjoy, all at once.
From Literature
From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
