indigence

[ in-di-juhns ]

noun

1. seriously impoverished condition; poverty.

   Synonyms: penury, want, need, privation

   Antonyms: wealth

Word History and Origins

Origin of indigence¹

1325–75; Middle English < Latin indigentia need. See indigent, -ence

Example Sentences

“On the one hand, we cannot remain indifferent because for us, the poverty indexes and the indigence indexes are telling us about concrete faces, about concrete brothers and sisters who are having a very bad time,” the archbishop said.

From New York Times

Bobby, perhaps because of the indigence of his childhood, hated the idea of people making money off his name.

From Literature

Black and Hispanic Americans escaped indigence in record numbers.

From Washington Post

The challenges of Maloney’s background — familial trauma, poor medical care, occasional indigence — form part of the back story, but they are ultimately beside the point of this book.

From New York Times

Reflecting on his upbringing, he recalled that he began to understand the realities of both injustice and indigence when his bicycle was stolen and his parents told him they could not afford to replace it.

From Washington Post