DESTITUTE


Meaning of DESTITUTE in English

des ‧ ti ‧ tute /ˈdestətjuːt, ˈdestɪtjuːt $ -tuːt/ BrE AmE adjective

[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: destitutus , past participle of destituere 'to set down, leave' ]

1 . having no money, no food, no home etc:

The floods left many people destitute.

2 . be destitute of something literary to be completely without something:

a man who is destitute of mercy

—destitution /ˌdestəˈtjuːʃ ə n, ˌdestɪˈtjuːʃ ə n $ -ˈtuː-/ noun [uncountable]

• • •

THESAURUS

▪ poor having very little money and not many possessions – used about people or places:

Many families were too poor to pay for education.

|

poor countries

▪ hard up/broke ( also skint British English ) [not before noun] informal having very little money, especially for a short period of time. Skint is more informal than the other words:

I’m a bit hard up at the moment

|

We were so broke we couldn’t afford to go out to the cinema.

▪ developing [only before noun] a developing country is poor and has very little industry:

The disease is found mainly in developing countries.

|

the developing world

▪ deprived [usually before noun] much poorer than other people in a country, and not having the things that are necessary for a comfortable or happy life – used about people and areas:

The charity works with deprived children in the inner city.

|

one of the most deprived areas of London

▪ disadvantaged especially written used about groups of people in society who have much less chance of being successful because they are poor:

An increase in the minimum wage would help the most disadvantaged Americans.

▪ needy having very little money, and so needing help – used about groups of people:

More help should be given to needy families.

|

We offer scholarships for needy students.

▪ destitute especially written having no money or possessions and nowhere to live – used when someone is in a very bad situation:

Her family was left destitute after her father died.

|

destitute refugees

▪ impoverished formal impoverished people and places are very poor:

out-of-work miners and their impoverished families

|

The children come from impoverished neighbourhoods.

|

one of the world’s most impoverished countries

▪ poverty-stricken written extremely poor:

poverty-stricken areas

|

They were left poverty-stricken.

▪ penniless especially literary having no money:

She died penniless.

|

a penniless student

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.