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Definitions

destitution

[des-ti-too-shuhn, -tyoo-] / ˌdɛs tɪˈtu ʃən, -ˈtyu- /
NOUN
indigence
Synonyms
STRONG
poverty privation want
Antonyms
STRONG
abundance

Usage

What are other ways to say destitution? 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. Indigence denotes a severely impoverished condition that is without any of life’s comforts: reduced to a life of indigence.

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.

After years of insurgencies, residents in eastern Congo are accustomed to food shortages, inflation and destitution.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026

"All too often the only thing that stood between a family and destitution was an intervention by Mickey Brady," said his party colleague, Dáire Hughes.

From BBC • Jan. 17, 2026

The destitution will not just be political and moral, it will be economic too.

From Salon • May 29, 2025

Pushed out by civil war, economic destitution, and political repression, thousands of refugees from Cuba, Haiti, and El Salvador began to arrive to America.

From Slate • Feb. 2, 2025

A public pregnancy without marriage meant disgrace and destitution.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.