Synonyms for poor

Synonyms for (noun) poor

Synonyms: poor, poor people

Definition: people without possessions or wealth (considered as a group)

Usage: the urban poor need assistance

Similar words: people

Definition: (plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively

Usage: old people; there were at least 200 people in the audience


Synonyms for (adj) poor

Synonyms: hapless, poor, piteous, pitiable, pitiful, wretched, miserable, misfortunate, pathetic

Definition: deserving or inciting pity

Usage: a hapless victim; miserable victims of war; the shabby room struck her as extraordinarily pathetic- Galsworthy; piteous appeals for help; pitiable homeless children; a pitiful fate; Oh, you poor thing; his poor distorted limbs; a wretched life

Similar words: unfortunate

Definition: not favored by fortune; marked or accompanied by or resulting in ill fortune

Usage: an unfortunate turn of events; an unfortunate decision; unfortunate investments; an unfortunate night for all concerned


Synonyms: poor

Definition: unsatisfactory

Usage: a poor light for reading; poor morale; expectations were poor

Similar words: bad

Definition: having undesirable or negative qualities

Usage: a bad report card; his sloppy appearance made a bad impression; a bad little boy; clothes in bad shape; a bad cut; bad luck; the news was very bad; the reviews were bad; the pay is bad; it was a bad light for reading; the movie was a bad choice


Synonyms: poor

Definition: having little money or few possessions

Usage: deplored the gap between rich and poor countries; the proverbial poor artist living in a garret

Similar words: bust, broke, skint, stone-broke, stony-broke

Definition: lacking funds

Usage: `skint' is a British slang term


Similar words: poverty-stricken, necessitous, needy, destitute, indigent, impoverished

Definition: poor enough to need help from others


Similar words: impecunious, in straitened circumstances, hard up, penniless, penurious, pinched

Definition: not having enough money to pay for necessities


Similar words: moneyless

Definition: having no money

Usage: virtually moneyless rural regions


Similar words: unprovided for

Definition: without income or means

Usage: left his family unprovided for


Synonyms: poor

Definition: lacking in specific resources, qualities or substances

Usage: a poor land; the area was poor in timber and coal; food poor in nutritive value

Similar words: resourceless

Definition: lacking or deficient in natural resources


Synonyms: poor

Definition: characterized by or indicating poverty

Usage: the country had a poor economy; they lived in the poor section of town

Similar words: mean, beggarly

Definition: marked by poverty befitting a beggar

Usage: a beggarly existence in the slums; a mean hut


Similar words: slummy

Definition: (of housing or residential areas) indicative of poverty

Usage: a slummy part of town; slum conditions


Synonyms: inadequate, poor, short

Definition: not sufficient to meet a need

Usage: an inadequate income; a poor salary; money is short; on short rations; food is in short supply; short on experience

Similar words: deficient, insufficient

Definition: of a quantity not able to fulfill a need or requirement

Usage: insufficient funds


Visual thesaurus for poor