Synonyms of 'poor'

poor

Explore 'poor' in the dictionary

1 (adjective) in the sense of impoverished

Definition

having little money and few possessions

He was one of thirteen children from a poor family.

Synonyms

impoverished

The goal is to lure businesses into impoverished areas.

broke (informal)

I'm as broke as you are.

badly off

hard up (informal)

Her parents were hard up.

short

in need

Food supplies are being sent to people in need.

needy

a project aimed at raising funds for needy children around the world

on the rocks

penniless

a penniless refugee

destitute

destitute families who live in poverty

poverty-stricken

delivering medical aid to poverty-stricken areas

down and out

skint (British, slang)

in want

indigent (formal)

Medical professionals should be permitted to provide free healthcare to indigent people.

down at heel

impecunious (formal)

I first met him when he was an impecunious, would-be racing driver.

dirt-poor (informal)

on the breadline

flat broke (informal)

penurious

on your uppers

stony-broke (British, slang, rare)

necessitous (formal)

Necessitous people are not free people.

in queer street (informal)

without two pennies to rub together (archaic)

on your beam-ends (rare)

See examples for synonyms

Opposites

rich

wealthy

prosperous

affluent

well-off

comfortable (informal)

well-heeled (informal)

2 (adjective) in the sense of unfortunate

Definition

pitiable

I feel sorry for that poor child.

Synonyms

unfortunate

charity days to raise money for unfortunate people

pathetic

That's the most pathetic excuse I've ever heard.

miserable

They have so far accepted only a miserable 1,100 refugees.

unlucky

Argentina's unlucky defeat by Ireland

hapless

the hapless victim struggled helplessly

pitiful

It was the most pitiful sight I had ever seen.

luckless

the luckless parent of an extremely difficult child

wretched

wretched people living in abject poverty

ill-starred

an ill-starred attempt to create jobs in a deprived area

pitiable

Her grandmother seemed to her a pitiable figure.

ill-fated

They are now home after their ill-fated trip abroad.

See examples for synonyms

Opposites

successful

lucky

fortunate

3 (adjective) in the sense of inferior

Definition

disappointing or disagreeable

The meal was very poor.He was a poor actor.

Synonyms

inferior

These recordings are of inferior quality.

unsatisfactory

The inspectors said a third of lessons were unsatisfactory.

mediocre

His university record was mediocre.

second-rate

another second-rate politician

sorry

weak

His eyesight had always been weak.

pants (informal)

rotten (informal)

I thought it was a rotten idea.

faulty

feeble

worthless

This piece of old junk is totally worthless.

shabby

shoddy

I'm normally quick to complain about shoddy service.

low-grade

undrinkable low-grade wine

below par

substandard

low-rent (informal)

for the birds (informal, old-fashioned)

crappy (slang)

valueless

no great shakes (informal, old-fashioned)

rubbishy

poxy (slang)

piss-poor (slang)

chickenshit (US, slang)

not much cop (British, slang)

half-pie (New Zealand, informal)

strictly for the birds (informal, old-fashioned)

bodger or bodgie (Australian, slang)

See examples for synonyms

Opposites

excellent

valuable

superior

first-class

exceptional

satisfactory

first-rate

4 (adjective) in the sense of meagre

Definition

lacking in (something)

poor wages and terrible working conditionsA poor crop has sent vegetable prices spiralling.

Synonyms

meagre

a meagre 3% pay rise

inadequate

Supplies of food and medicine are inadequate.

insufficient

There was insufficient evidence to proceed.

reduced

lacking

slight

It's only made a slight difference.

miserable

pathetic

incomplete

Some offices had incomplete information on spending.

scant

There is scant evidence of strong economic growth to come.

sparse

Many slopes are rock fields with sparse vegetation.

deficient

a diet deficient in vitamins

skimpy

skimpy underwear

measly (informal)

The average bathroom measures a measly 3.5 metres.

scanty

So far, what scanty evidence we have points to two subjects.

pitiable

niggardly

The niggardly compensation for her frightening ordeal amounted to just £6,500.

straitened

exiguous

See examples for synonyms

Opposites

complete

thick

sufficient

adequate

satisfactory

dense

ample

abundant

plentiful

5 (adjective) in the sense of unproductive

Mix in some planting compost to improve poor soil when you dig.

Synonyms

unproductive

increasingly unproductive land

barren

He also wants to use water to irrigate barren desert land.

fruitless

bad

He was a bad driver.

bare

a bare landscape

exhausted

depleted

impoverished

sterile

a sterile male

infertile

The waste is dumped, making the surrounding land infertile.

unfruitful

See examples for synonyms

Opposites

yielding

productive

fertile

fruitful

teeming

6 (adjective) in the sense of lowly

Synonyms

lowly

He started out as a lowly photographer.

mean

southern opportunists of mean origins

plain

We are just plain people.

modest

the modest home of a family who lived off the land

humble

He came from a fairly humble, poor background.

trivial

I don't like to visit the doctor just for something trivial.

insignificant

In 1949 it was still a small, insignificant city.

paltry

She had no interest in such paltry concerns.

See examples for synonyms

Quotations

The poor always ye have with you [Bible: St. John]Poor and content is rich and rich enough [William Shakespeare – Othello]

Additional synonyms

in the sense of bad

Definition

lacking skill or talent

He was a bad driver.

Synonyms

incompetent,

poor,

useless (informal),

crap (slang),

incapable,

unfit,

inexpert

in the sense of bare

a bare landscape

Synonyms

desolate,

dry,

waste,

empty,

desert,

unproductive,

unfruitful

in the sense of barren

Definition

unable to support the growth of crops, fruit, etc.

He also wants to use water to irrigate barren desert land.

Synonyms

unproductive,

dry,

useless,

sterile,

fruitless,

arid,

unprofitable,

unfruitful,

unprolific

Video: pronunciation of
poor

Browse alphabetically
poor

pony
pooh-pooh
pool
poor
poorly
pop
pop the question
All ENGLISH synonyms that begin with 'P'

Source

Thesaurus for poor from the Collins English Thesaurus

1 2 3 4 5 6

New from Collins

Quick word challenge

Quiz Review

Question: 1

Score: 0 / 5

place or plaice?

Drag the correct answer into the box.

plaice

place

I ordered a fillet of with rice and vegetables.

pedal or peddle?

Which version is correct?

He attempted to pedal his paintings around small London galleries. He attempted to peddle his paintings around small London galleries.

altar or alter?

Which version is correct?

The priest stood at the altar The priest stood at the alter

bread or bred?

Drag the correct answer into the box.

bread

bred

She made herself some and butter.

sun or son?

Drag the correct answer into the box.

son

sun

He shared a pizza with his .

Your score:

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Scrabble score
for 'poor':
6

Quick word challenge

Quiz Review

Question: 1

Score: 0 / 5

weather or whether?

Which version is correct?

I don't know weather they've found anybody yet. I don't know whether they've found anybody yet.

ridden or rode?

Drag the correct answer into the box.

ridden

rode

I have never a horse.

reek or wreak?

Which version is correct?

The entire house will reek for a long time. The entire house will wreak for a long time.

discreet or discrete?

Drag the correct answer into the box.

discreet

discrete

I don’t want anyone to know about this so please be .

plain or plane?

Drag the correct answer into the box.

plain

plane

A carpet makes a room look bigger.

Your score:

Updating our Usage

There are many diverse influences on the way that English is used across the world today. We look at some of the ways in which the language is changing. Read our series of blogs to find out more. October 30, 2020 Read more

Synonyms of 'poor'

poor

Quotations

Additional synonyms

Video: pronunciation of poor

Browse alphabetically poor

Source

Video: pronunciation of
poor

Browse alphabetically
poor