poverty

US /ˈpɑːvɚti/ UK /ˈpɒvəti/ See IPA manual

noun 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

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

Social Issues & Human Rights

# 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
- Social Issues & Human Rights

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