pauperism

[ paw-puh-riz-uhm ]

noun

1. the state or condition of utter poverty.

Word History and Origins

Origin of pauperism¹

First recorded in 1805–15; pauper + -ism

Example Sentences

From the late 19th and well into the 20th century, a host of conditions, which included lunacy but also feeblemindedness, epilepsy and pauperism, were believed to be caused by an inborn hereditary taint impervious to any and all treatment.

From Washington Post

Without equality, eugenics would inevitably falter on the false premise that social ills, such as vagrancy, pauperism, deviance, alcoholism, and feeblemindedness were genetic ills—while, in fact, they merely reflected inequality.

From Literature

"By the time of Queen Victoria's accession, the woollen-producing districts which had girdled mid Wales recorded some of the highest levels of pauperism in Britain," Prof Evans added.

From BBC

But in the half-century since Dr. King was assassinated in Memphis during his peaceful crusade against pauperism and racism, the city has been immersed in poverty, segregation and violence.

From New York Times

The ad’s grandiose copy also felt Whitmanian: it promised “an Auto-Biography, in which will be handled the Philosophy, Philanthropy, Pauperism, Law, Crime, Love, Matrimony, Morals, &c., which are characteristic of this great City at the present time.”

From The New Yorker

Related Words

• bankruptcy
• debt
• deficit
• difficulty
• famine
• hardship
• lack
• scarcity
• shortage
• starvation
• underdevelopment