english
1
general::
poor
having very little money and not many possessions – used about people or places:
• Many families were too poor to pay for education. • 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 • 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. • 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. • 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. • 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. • destitute refugees
impoverished
formal impoverished people and places are very poor:
• out-of-work miners and their impoverished families • The children come from impoverished neighbourhoods. • one of the world’s most impoverished countries
poverty-stricken
written extremely poor:
• poverty-stricken areas • They were left poverty-stricken.
penniless
especially literary having no money:
• She died penniless. • a penniless student
COLLOCATIONS CHECK
deprived
area/children/homes/background
disadvantaged
groups/children/students/background
needy
children/students/families
impoverished
families/areas/countries
poverty-stricken
areas/countries/people
Longman-Thesaurus
2
general::
noun
impoverished:
She was poor and destitute.
adj.
faulty:
It was a poor choice.
adj.
wretched:
The poor man was disconsolate.
Simple Definitions
3
general::
poor
adverbs
extremely poor
• His parents were extremely poor.
desperately poor
(= so poor that it causes great suffering )
• Half the population remains desperately poor.
dirt poor
American English informal (= extremely poor )
• We were dirt poor back then.
adjectives
the rural poor
(= poor people who live in the countryside )
• Difficult economic conditions have driven millions of the rural poor to cities.
the urban poor
(= poor people who live in towns and cities )
• The condition of the urban poor could no longer be ignored.
the working poor
(= poor people who have jobs, rather than unemployed people )
• These tax-cut proposals are targeted at the working poor.
transnet.ir