POVERTY-STRICKEN


Meaning of POVERTY-STRICKEN in English

ˈpoverty-ˌstricken BrE AmE adjective

extremely poor:

poverty-stricken families

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THESAURUS

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

Many families were too poor to pay for education.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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destitute refugees

▪ impoverished formal impoverished people and places are very poor:

out-of-work miners and their impoverished families

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The children come from impoverished neighbourhoods.

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one of the world’s most impoverished countries

▪ poverty-stricken written extremely poor:

poverty-stricken areas

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They were left poverty-stricken.

▪ penniless especially literary having no money:

She died penniless.

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a penniless student

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