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Definitions

destitution

[des-ti-too-shuhn, -tyoo-] / ˌdɛs tɪˈtu ʃən, -ˈtyu- /
NOUN
indigence
Synonyms
Antonyms


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.

Supplemental Security Income, which serves 7.5 million Americans who are unable to make a living because of severe disabilities or destitution in old age, has never been easy to qualify for.

From Salon • Apr. 29, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026

The UN-backed body said more than half a million people across Gaza were facing "catastrophic" conditions characterised by "starvation, destitution and death".

From BBC • Oct. 8, 2025

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

From Salon • May 29, 2025

I could hardly tell how men and women in extremities of destitution proceeded.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë




Vocabulary lists containing destitution