Definitions

destitute

[des-ti-toot, -tyoot] / ˈdɛs tɪˌtut, -ˌtyut /

ADJECTIVE

down and out; wanting

Synonyms

STRONGEST

bankrupt exhausted impoverished indigent insolvent needy penniless poor poverty-stricken strapped

WEAK

beggared bereft busted dead broke deficient depleted deprived of devoid of dirt poor divested drained empty flat flat broke impecunious in need of lacking moneyless necessitous on the breadline on the rocks penurious pinched played-out stony stripped totaled wiped-out without

Antonyms

STRONGEST

affluent rich solvent wealthy

WEAK

lucky prosperous secure

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.

“We have a socioeconomic problem in Rio de Janeiro—we have very wealthy people, and we have very destitute people,” Moscatelli says.

From Slate • May 27, 2026

My father, 75, is essentially destitute and in failing health.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 4, 2026

The Dominican nuns who run the kitchen prepare food for about 80 elderly or destitute people -- growing numbers of Cubans are forced to rummage through garbage bins for food -- each day.

From Barron's • Feb. 11, 2026

Another was sent to live with her destitute biological family after acting out.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 8, 2025

The son discovered that Carmine’s birth mother, a new arrival from Italy, died in childbirth, and his destitute father gave him up.

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline

Vocabulary lists containing destitute

A Christmas Carol

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Hamilton

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Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

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