poverty

US /ˈpɑːvɚti/ UK /ˈpɒvəti/ See IPA manual

Freq #5755

Meanings

1

noun
The state of being very poor and having little money.

Many families in the region live in extreme poverty.
2

noun
A lack of something needed or wanted.

The soil's poverty made it hard to grow crops.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the state of being very... impoverishment

More beggarybrokenessdestitution impecuniosity impecuniousness indigence mendicancy mendicity misery neediness pauperism penury

Opposites

abundance decadence luxury riches richness wealth wealthiness

Word family

Derived forms antipovertynonpovertypoverty-riddenpoverty-strickenpoverty-struckpovertyismpovoultrapoverty

Related forms aporophobiabroke-asshardship impoverish impoverished pauper poor poornesspossessionlessness

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

poverty trap
a situation where lost benefits cancel out increased earnings and leave someone no better off

Noun + noun

Proverbs (1)

See all

Laziness travels so slowly, that poverty soon overtakes him

Simplified etymology

Poverty, recorded since Middle English, derives ultimately from Latin pauper, “poor.” Poor and pauper share the same base.

Etymology

From Middle English poverte, from Old French poverté (Modern French pauvreté), from Latin paupertās, from pauper (“poor”) + -tas (“noun of state suffix”). Cognates include pauper, poor.

*peh₂w- Proto-Indo-European poverte Middle English poverté Old French paupertās Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Economics & Markets Social Issues & Human Rights

External links

# poverty

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈpɑːvɚti/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈpɒvəti/
**Frequency rank:** 5755

## Meanings
1. The state of being very poor and having little money.
2. A lack of something needed or wanted.

## Examples
- Many families in the region live in extreme poverty.
- The soil's poverty made it hard to grow crops.

## Synonyms
- beggary
- brokeness
- destitution
- impecuniosity
- impecuniousness
- indigence
- mendicancy
- mendicity
- misery
- neediness
- pauperism
- penury

## Antonyms
- abundance
- decadence
- luxury
- riches
- richness
- wealth
- wealthiness

## Derived Forms
- antipoverty
- nonpoverty
- poverty-ridden
- poverty-stricken
- poverty-struck
- povertyism
- povo
- ultrapoverty

## Related Forms
- aporophobia
- broke-ass
- hardship
- impoverish
- impoverished
- pauper
- poor
- poorness
- possessionlessness

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *peh₂w-
- Root: poverte
- Root: poverté
- Root: paupertās

## Etymology
From Middle English poverte, from Old French poverté (Modern French pauvreté), from Latin paupertās, from pauper (“poor”) + -tas (“noun of state suffix”). Cognates include pauper, poor.

## AI Etymology
Poverty comes from Middle English poverte, from Old French poverté (Modern French pauvreté), from Latin paupertās, from pauper (“poor”) + -tas (“noun of state suffix”). Cognates include pauper, poor. The historical chain includes *peh₂w- (Proto-Indo-European), poverte (Middle English), poverté (Old French), paupertās (Latin). In present-day English it covers the state of being very poor and having little money and a lack of something needed or wanted. The wider family includes derived forms such as antipoverty, nonpoverty, poverty-ridden, poverty-stricken, poverty-struck and related forms such as aporophobia, broke-ass, hardship, impoverish.

## Topics
- Economics & Markets
- Social Issues & Human Rights

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