pauperize

[ paw-puh-rahyz ]

verb (used with object)

, pau·per·ized, pau·per·iz·ing.

1. to make a pauper of:

   His extravagance pauperized him.

pauperize

/ ˈpɔːpəˌraɪz /

verb

1. tr to make a pauper of; impoverish

Other Words From

• pauper·i·zation noun
• pauper·izer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of pauperize¹

First recorded in 1825–35; pauper + -ize

Example Sentences

Iran, after all, is not the only Muslim country with an urban westernized elite that’s been decimated by dictatorship and pauperized by decades of war.

From New York Times

“Haiti was immediately quarantined and pauperized into the forced dysfunction of a postcolonial state,” literary scholar Nick Nesbitt has written, “hamstrung by the terrified slave-holding powers that then controlled the globe.”

From Washington Post

Banks stopped giving out money, instantly pauperizing hundreds of thousands of Lebanese, who couldn’t access their accounts even as they watched the value of their savings wither away.

From Los Angeles Times

“What you have in the U.S. and what you have in the Arab world are exactly the same: a pauperized citizenry rising up against a militarized state and system,” Khouri said.

From Los Angeles Times

Analysts warn that the downturn could pauperize the middle class, making it that much harder for the country to recover.

From New York Times

Related Words

• bankrupt
• impoverish
• ruin