Definitions

destitute

[des-ti-toot, -tyoot] / ˈdɛs tɪˌtut, -ˌtyut /

ADJECTIVE

down and out; wanting

Synonyms

STRONGEST

bankrupt exhausted impoverished indigent insolvent needy penniless poor poverty-stricken strapped

WEAK

beggared bereft busted dead broke deficient depleted deprived of devoid of dirt poor divested drained empty flat flat broke impecunious in need of lacking moneyless necessitous on the breadline on the rocks penurious pinched played-out stony stripped totaled wiped-out without

Antonyms

STRONGEST

affluent rich solvent wealthy

WEAK

lucky prosperous secure

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.

Are there habits from those early days as a destitute young woman that you haven’t fully shed?

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

He is not destitute: He owns his home and has relationships with his siblings and with some nieces and nephews.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 25, 2026

The Dominican nuns who run the kitchen prepare food for about 80 elderly or destitute people -- growing numbers of Cubans are forced to rummage through garbage bins for food -- each day.

From Barron's • Feb. 11, 2026

Another was sent to live with her destitute biological family after acting out.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 8, 2025

In the northern provinces, the collapse of the nitrate fields had left thousands of workers destitute.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende

Vocabulary lists containing destitute

A Christmas Carol

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Hamilton

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Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

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