destitute

adjective

des·​ti·​tute ˈde-stə-ˌtüt 

-ˌt(y)üt

1

: lacking something needed or desirable

a lake destitute of fish

2

: lacking possessions and resources

especially : suffering extreme poverty

a destitute old man

destituteness noun

Did you know?

You may be surprised to learn that "destitute" is related to words like "statue," "statute," and even "statistics." The Latin word status, meaning "position" or "state," is the source of these and other English words. Some terms of this family are directly related to "status," while others come to English through "statuere," a Latin derivative of "status" that means "to set up." "Destitute" came from "destituere" ("to abandon" or "to deprive"), a joining of "statuere" and the prefix de- ("from, down, away"). "Statuere" also gave us "constitute," "institute," and "restitution," among other similar-sounding words.

Synonyms

• beggared
• beggarly
• broke
• dirt-poor
• down-and-out
• famished
• hard up
• impecunious
• impoverished
• indigent
• necessitous
• needful
• needy
• pauperized
• penniless
• penurious
• poor
• poverty-stricken
• skint [chiefly British]
• threadbare

Examples of destitute in a Sentence

His business failures left him destitute.

many families were left destitute by the horrible fire

Recent Examples on the Web

The most destitute Syrians are hard to locate, and the wealthiest Syrians neither need UNHCR benefits nor live in the low-income areas where refugees concentrate. —Daniel Corstange, Foreign Affairs, 14 Sep. 2016

With little effort, Israel can continue to control the flow of international aid to Gaza’s destitute population and use disproportionate and overwhelming force against any nascent glimmer of resistance. —Robert Grenier, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018

Mauritius may have gambled with its national dowry, but its consideration for a destitute citizenry wasn’t merely notional. —Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024

The migrant workers abandoned in Lebanon Migrant workers in Lebanon, the vast majority of which are women, have been made destitute by Israel’s bombardment. —Andrew Torgan, CNN, 13 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin destitutus, past participle of destituere to abandon, deprive, from de- + statuere to set up — more at statute

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing destitute

• the destitute

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Kids Definition

destitute

adjective

des·​ti·​tute ˈdes-tə-ˌt(y)üt 

1

: lacking something needed or desirable

destitute of the necessities of life

2

: extremely poor : suffering great want

destitution

ˌdes-tə-ˈt(y)ü-shən

noun