POVERTY

[noun] [U] - the condition of being extremely poorTwo million people in the city live in abject (= very great) poverty.He emigrated to Australia to escape the grinding (= very great) poverty of his birthplace.Helping to alleviate poverty in developing countries also helps to reduce environmental destruction.(formal) If there is a poverty of something, there is a lack of it or the quality of it is extremely low.There is a disappointing poverty of creativity in their work.The poverty of original ideas for television shows has led to a substantial fall in viewing figures.The poverty line is the official level of income which is needed to achieve a basic living standard with enough money for things such as food, clothing and housing.In 1991 almost 36 million Americans were living below the poverty line.A person or place that is poverty-stricken is suffering from the effects of being extremely poor.Some beggars are neither poverty-stricken nor homeless.There are few jobs for the peasants who have flooded into the cities from the poverty-stricken countryside in search of work.(UK) A poverty trap is a situation in which someone would be even poorer or only slightly richer if they had a job because they would no longer receive financial help from the government.He's caught in the poverty trap and will only be five pounds a week better off if he accepts the job.(saying) 'When poverty comes in at the door, love flies out of the window'.