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

William Booth’s famous poverty maps, which the social reformer used to catalogue affluence and indigence in late Victorian London, don’t extend this far south.

From Washington Post

But there are many more people balancing precariously on the verge of indigence.

From The Daily Beast

It must be a dreadful situation for any man to have to choose between roguery and indigence.

From Project Gutenberg

Their kings are without power and without glory; their subjects languish in indigence and wretchedness.

From Project Gutenberg

Banished from his native country and without any resource, Diogenes was reduced to great indigence.

From Project Gutenberg

And a life of simplicity and indigence, which moderates the sexual desires, now seems to me good.

From Project Gutenberg

Ordinary minds avoid, as much as possible, recurring to past periods of indigence and inferiority of station.

From Project Gutenberg

When To Use

What are other ways to say indigence?

Indigence refers to a seriously impoverished condition. How is it different from the synonyms poverty and destitution? Find out on Thesaurus.com.