poor

[ poor ]

adjective

, poor·er, poor·est.

1. having little or no money, goods, or other means of support:

   She came from a poor family struggling to survive.

   Synonyms: straitened, necessitous, poverty-stricken, penniless, destitute, impoverished, indigent, needy

   Antonyms: wealthy, rich

2. Law. dependent upon charity or public support.
3. (of a country, institution, etc.) meagerly supplied or endowed with resources or funds.
4. characterized by or showing poverty.
5. deficient or lacking in something specified:

   a region poor in mineral deposits.

   Synonyms: meager

6. faulty or inferior, as in construction:

   poor workmanship.

   Synonyms: shabby, unsatisfactory

7. (of land or soil) lacking abundance or productivity:

   poor soil.

   Synonyms: unfruitful, barren, sterile

   Antonyms: fertile

8. excessively lean or emaciated, as cattle.

   Synonyms: thin, gaunt, meager, skinny

9. of an inferior, inadequate, or unsatisfactory kind:

   poor health.

10. lacking in skill, ability, or training:

    a poor cook.

11. deficient in moral excellence; cowardly, abject, or mean.
12. scanty, meager, or paltry in amount or number:

    a poor audience.

13. humble; modest:

    They shared their poor meal with a stranger.

14. unfortunate; hapless:

    The poor dog was limping.

    Synonyms: pitiable, unhappy, miserable

noun

, (used with a plural verb)

1. Usually the poor. Often Disparaging and Offensive. poor people collectively.

poor

/ pʊə; pɔː /

adjective

1. 1. lacking financial or other means of subsistence; needy
   2. ( as collective noun; preceded by the )

      the poor

2. characterized by or indicating poverty

   the country had a poor economy

3. deficient in amount; scanty or inadequate

   a poor salary

4. whenpostpositive, usually foll by in badly supplied (with resources, materials, etc)

   a region poor in wild flowers

5. lacking in quality; inferior
6. giving no pleasure; disappointing or disagreeable

   a poor play

7. prenominal deserving of pity; unlucky

   poor John is ill again

8. poor man's something
   a (cheaper) substitute for something

Pronunciation Note

In North and North Midland U.S. English, the vowel of poor is most often [oo]. Poor and sure thus contrast with pour and shore: [p, oo, r], [sh, oo, r] versus [pawr], [shawr] or [pohr], [shohr]. In the South Midland and South, the vowel of poor is generally [aw] or [oh] (often with the final (r) dropped), which means that in these areas, poor and pour are homophones, as are sure and shore. Both types of pronunciation exist in the British Isles.

Derived Forms

• ˈpoorness, noun

Other Words From

• poor·ness noun
• non·poor noun
• qua·si-poor adjective
• qua·si-poor·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of poor¹

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English pov(e)re, from Old French povre, from Latin pauper; pauper

Word History and Origins

Origin of poor¹

C13: from Old French povre, from Latin pauper; see pauper , poverty

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. poor as Job's turkey, Southern and South Midland U.S. extremely poor.
2. poor as a church mouse, extremely poor.

Synonym Study

Poor, impecunious, impoverished, penniless refer to those lacking money. Poor is the simple term for the condition of lacking means to obtain the comforts of life: a very poor family. Impecunious often suggests that the poverty is a consequence of unwise habits: an impecunious actor. Impoverished often implies a former state of greater plenty, from which one has been reduced: the impoverished aristocracy. Penniless may mean destitute, or it may apply simply to a temporary condition of being without funds: The widow was left penniless with three small children.

Example Sentences

Well, he looks like a poor man’s Josh Brolin — with more makeup.

From Salon

“There is a perfect storm of young inexperienced staff with poor vetting and inadequate training being thrown into a dystopian environment," Mr Podmore says, "where violence and organised crime dominate a failing prison system.”

From BBC

It will be a challenge, however, with the offensive line possibly reshuffling again after a poor performance against the Dolphins.

From Los Angeles Times

Born into a poor family in the backstreets of Portsmouth, Michael was still a baby when his father, the youngest of 13 children, left to fight in the Korean War.

From BBC

“This had haunted me for 70 years. The poor lady who phoned me, I felt sorry for her.”

From BBC

Related Words

• feeble
• inferior
• insufficient
• meager
• mediocre
• miserable
• modest
• ordinary
• shoddy
• substandard
• unsatisfactory
• weak