destitute

[ des-ti-toot, -tyoot ]

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 by of ):

   destitute of children.

   Synonyms: deficient

verb (used with object)

, des·ti·tut·ed, des·ti·tut·ing.

1. to leave destitute.

destitute

/ ˈdɛstɪˌtjuːt /

adjective

1. lacking the means of subsistence; totally impoverished
2. postpositivefoll byof completely lacking; deprived or bereft (of)

   destitute of words

3. obsolete.
   abandoned or deserted

Derived Forms

• ˈdestiˌtuteness, noun

Other Words From

• desti·tutely adverb
• desti·tuteness noun
• pre·desti·tute adjective
• un·desti·tute adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of destitute¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of destitute¹

C14: from Latin dēstitūtus forsaken, from dēstituere to leave alone, from statuere to place

Example Sentences

Like millions of others, they are destitute, often hungry, living in a tent at al-Mawasi, a desolate area of sand dunes.

From BBC

He said that “too many of our country’s citizens live destitute lives” on the street and that any solution must address their mental health needs and bring services to people before they become unhoused.

From Los Angeles Times

Former Trump adviser Stephen Miller, a man who has promoted white nationalist positions, went all-in on the story, tweeting repeatedly about how Harris’ “plan is to turn America into a destitute refugee colony.”

From Slate

“The American dream is a powerful attraction for destitute and desperate people across the globe, and where there is need, there is greed from those who will attempt to exploit,” Acting US Attorney David Estes said in a press release at the time.

From BBC

He also disparaged Silicon Valley in an interview with Slate as “more of a bubble than D.C.” and New York, full of Richie Riches with “no real sense of how frustrated and how destitute a lot of people outside of Silicon Valley are.”

From Slate

Related Words

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