destitute

American  

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

adjective

1. without means of subsistence; lacking food, clothing, and shelter.

   Synonyms:

   impoverished, penniless, necessitous, indigent, poor, needy

   Antonyms:

   affluent

2. deprived of, devoid of, or lacking (often followed byof ).

   destitute of children.

   Synonyms:

   deficient

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verb (used with object)

destituted, destituting

1. to leave destitute.

destitute British  

/ ˈdɛstɪˌtjuːt /

adjective

1. lacking the means of subsistence; totally impoverished

2. completely lacking; deprived or bereft (of)

   destitute of words

3. obsolete abandoned or deserted

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Other Word Forms

• destitutely adverb
• destituteness noun
• predestitute adjective
• undestitute adjective

Etymology

Origin of destitute

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin dēstitūtus (past participle of dēstituere to abandon, deprive of support), equivalent to dē- de- + stit- place, put (combining form of statuere; statute ) + -ū- thematic vowel + -tus past participle suffix

Example Sentences

My father, 75, is essentially destitute and in failing health.

From MarketWatch

Or maybe you worry that if the attorney exploits your relative and leaves them destitute, the rightful heirs will inherit little.

From MarketWatch

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

From MarketWatch

Roughly 40–45% of giving flows to religious organisations, with a comparable share directed to beggars and destitute people, especially in urban areas.

From BBC

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

Related Words

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