Synonyms of bankrupt

bankrupt 1 of 3

adjective

as in devoid

utterly lacking in something needed, wanted, or expected

the company's product development team was bankrupt of ideas

Synonyms & Similar Words

• devoid
• void
• destitute
• barren
• empty
• bereft
• bare
• insufficient
• incomplete
• blank
• wanting
• deficient
• vacant
• partial
• absent
• fragmentary
• short
• innocent
• stark
• fragmental
• missing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rife
• filled
• fraught
• full
• flush
• provided
• replete
• furnished
• supplied
• saturated
• crowded
• bursting
• fat
• loaded
• stuffed
• packed
• jammed
• bulging
• brimming
• crammed
• chock-full
• thick
• teeming
• swarming
• chockful
• jam-packed
• abounding
• thronging

bankrupt

2 of 3

verb

as in to ruin

to cause to lose one's fortune and become unable to pay one's debts

several bad investments bankrupted him

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ruin
• reduce
• bust
• break
• impoverish
• pauperize
• beggar
• wipe out
• clean (out)
• straiten

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• enrich
• richen

bankrupt

3 of 3

noun

1

as in derelict

Synonyms & Similar Words

• derelict
• delinquent
• degenerate
• rake
• incorrigible
• pervert
• libertine
• deviate
• scoundrel
• profligate
• reprobate
• villain
• knave
• backslider
• heel
• debaucher
• blackguard
• rip
• cad
• perv
• playboy
• rogue
• debauchee
• miscreant
• rakehell
• rascal
• decadent
• satyr
• lecher
• playgirl

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• saint

2

as in insolvent

Synonyms & Similar Words

• insolvent
• beggar
• waif
• urchin
• ragamuffin
• mendicant
• panhandler
• drifter
• hobo
• have-not
• almsman
• pauper
• transient
• indigent
• gamine
• roamer
• tramp
• down-and-out
• vagabond
• down-and-outer
• ne'er-do-well

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• affluent
• plutocrat
• moneybags
• millionaire
• deep pocket
• billionaire
• have
• fat cat
• millionairess
• magnate
• tycoon
• success
• moneymaker
• nabob
• billionairess
• gazillionaire

Synonym Chooser

How is the word bankrupt distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of bankrupt are deplete, drain, exhaust, and impoverish. While all these words mean "to deprive of something essential to existence or potency," bankrupt suggests impoverishment to the point of imminent collapse.

war had bankrupted the nation of resources

When could deplete be used to replace bankrupt?

While in some cases nearly identical to bankrupt, deplete implies a reduction in number or quantity so as to endanger the ability to function.

depleting our natural resources

In what contexts can drain take the place of bankrupt?

The synonyms drain and bankrupt are sometimes interchangeable, but drain implies a gradual withdrawal and ultimate deprivation of what is necessary to an existence.

personal tragedy had drained him of all spirit

When is exhaust a more appropriate choice than bankrupt?

While the synonyms exhaust and bankrupt are close in meaning, exhaust stresses a complete emptying.

her lecture exhausted the subject

When would impoverish be a good substitute for bankrupt?

The meanings of impoverish and bankrupt largely overlap; however, impoverish suggests a deprivation of something essential to richness or productiveness.

impoverished soil

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of bankrupt

Adjective

Gary Wang, a former executive of bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX, who testified against founder Sam Bankman-Fried, attends his sentencing on fraud charges at the United States District Court in Manhattan in New York City, U.S., November 20, 2024. —Mackenzie Sigalos,dawn Giel, CNBC, 20 Nov. 2024

Nishad Singh, who headed up the engineering team at bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX, was sentenced in U.S. federal court to time served Wednesday for his role in the fraud that led to the company's collapse. —Brady Dale, Axios, 30 Oct. 2024

Verb

But Manchester United’s decision to hitch their wagon to this development almost bankrupted them again, particularly when the First World War broke out, depriving them of income for four seasons. —Matt Slater, The Athletic, 5 Aug. 2024

That, warns Boston University professor of economics Laurence Kotlikoff, would bankrupt the system even quicker, since those taxes are revenue streams keeping it afloat. —Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 10 Dec. 2024

Noun

China’s Hong Kong puppet regime, albeit bankrupt of any legitimacy, is still unwilling to cede power to the people. —Joshua Wong, Quartz, 3 Sep. 2019

From Henry Ford to Donald Trump, America has lionized business leaders (and shameless bankrupts) who disdain history. —Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 6 June 2019