Synonyms of poor

poor

adjective

ˈpu̇r 

1

as in impoverished

lacking money or material possessions

every year, we make up a basket of food at Thanksgiving for a poor family in the neighborhood

Synonyms & Similar Words

• impoverished
• broke
• deprived
• needy
• beggared
• bankrupt
• indigent
• impecunious
• destitute
• needful
• dirt-poor
• poverty-stricken
• penniless
• penurious
• pauperized
• famished
• necessitous
• depressed
• beggarly
• down-and-out
• hard up
• threadbare
• out of pocket
• disadvantaged
• out at elbows
• bankrupted
• out at the elbows
• skint
• underprivileged
• distressed
• ruined
• dispossessed
• down on one's luck
• unaffluent
• poorish
• reduced
• short
• busted
• insolvent
• pinched
• low
• bust
• hardscrabble
• straitened
• hand-to-mouth
• cash-strapped
• possessionless
• tapped out

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rich
• wealthy
• affluent
• fat
• well-to-do
• opulent
• moneyed
• monied
• flush
• well-off
• comfortable
• prosperous
• fat-cat
• silk-stocking
• well-heeled
• deep-pocketed

2

as in desolate

producing inferior or only a small amount of vegetation

land that is too poor for farming

Synonyms & Similar Words

• impoverished
• desolate
• barren
• bleak
• waste
• unproductive
• bony
• infertile
• unfertile
• hardscrabble
• stark
• dry
• dead
• boney
• desert
• thirsty
• inhospitable
• lifeless
• exhausted
• reduced
• diminished
• drained
• depleted
• enfeebled
• debilitated
• consumed
• uncultivable
• untillable
• spent
• arid
• droughty
• lessened
• dehydrated
• waterless
• expended
• bankrupted
• sere
• rainless
• baked
• sear
• parched
• dried-up
• sunbaked
• used up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rich
• productive
• fertile
• fruitful
• lush
• luxuriant
• arable
• green
• tillable
• verdant
• sylvan

3

as in scarce

less plentiful than what is normal, necessary, or desirable

a poor crop because of the drought this year

Synonyms & Similar Words

• scarce
• sparse
• meagre
• meager
• lowest
• lacking
• inadequate
• skimpy
• insufficient
• scanty
• small
• stingy
• scant
• light
• sparing
• slender
• short
• spare
• exiguous
• minimal
• deficient
• hand-to-mouth
• mere
• slim
• thin on the ground
• niggardly
• skimp
• thin
• least
• wanting
• slightest
• littlest
• bare-bones
• unproductive
• sterile
• bare
• unfruitful
• slight
• infertile
• barren

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• adequate
• liberal
• sufficient
• generous
• abundant
• satisfactory
• plentiful
• ample
• rich
• enough
• copious
• bountiful
• tolerable
• fat
• fertile
• prolific
• fruitful
• plenteous
• lavish
• extra
• excess
• bursting
• flourishing
• luxuriant
• fecund
• thriving
• proliferative
• surplus
• teeming
• blooming
• swarming

4

as in unacceptable

falling short of a standard

a pretty poor musician, even for a garage band

Synonyms & Similar Words

• unacceptable
• wrong
• lame
• bad
• deficient
• terrible
• horrible
• awful
• pathetic
• flawed
• wretched
• disastrous
• unsatisfactory
• bastard
• suboptimal
• dreadful
• crummy
• substandard
• lousy
• brutal
• lacking
• ill
• inferior
• inadequate
• subpar
• sour
• from hunger
• wanting
• paltry
• off
• rotten
• defective
• crumby
• dissatisfactory
• miserable
• bush
• insufficient
• abysmal
• useless
• punk
• short
• under par
• wack
• worthless
• gross
• deplorable
• below par
• atrocious
• bush-league
• horrendous
• shoddy
• mediocre
• common
• lesser
• damnable
• detestable
• stinky
• faulty
• unspeakable
• vile
• crappy
• execrable
• sucky
• egregious
• abominable
• meager
• bum
• low-rent
• odious
• meagre
• gnarly
• low-grade
• shabby
• reprehensible
• flagrant
• miserly
• coarse
• trashy
• second-rate
• skimpy
• sleazy
• cheesy
• rubbishy
• stingy
• valueless
• scanty
• bitchin'
• junky
• villainous
• mean
• scurrilous
• spare
• miscreant
• fake
• cut-rate
• counterfeit
• niggardly
• sham
• phony
• phoney
• skimp

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• adequate
• satisfactory
• acceptable
• decent
• standard
• fine
• okay
• excellent
• great
• respectable
• all right
• tolerable
• better
• passable
• OK
• superior
• wonderful
• perfect
• classical
• splendid
• classic
• superb
• noble
• terrific
• special
• sufficient
• prime
• divine
• marvelous
• marvellous
• stellar
• fabulous
• top
• exceptional
• neat
• mean
• heavenly
• choice
• first-class
• superlative
• average
• par excellence
• keen
• sensational
• dandy
• grand
• fancy
• swell
• sterling
• mediocre
• premium
• minimal
• unsurpassed
• slick
• capital
• nifty
• banner
• boss
• fair
• suitable
• useful
• middling
• high-grade
• worthy
• A1
• first-rate
• top-notch
• borderline
• groovy
• high-test
• crackerjack
• tip-top
• supernal
• satisfying
• bang-up
• unexceptional
• so-so
• jim-dandy
• gratifying

5

as in terrible

of low quality

the poor workmanship of the goods from that store

Synonyms & Similar Words

• terrible
• cheap
• inferior
• bad
• rotten
• coarse
• common
• wretched
• worthless
• miserable
• shoddy
• mediocre
• useless
• lousy
• crappy
• bum
• rubbishy
• low-rent
• low-grade
• execrable
• trashy
• junky
• second-rate
• sleazy
• cheesy
• counterfeit
• fake
• cheapjack
• shlocky
• schlocky
• lackluster
• trumpery
• cut-rate
• gimcrack
• indifferent
• shlock
• schlock
• bargain-basement
• valueless
• el cheapo
• shabby
• second-class
• swanky
• tawdry
• gaudy
• showy
• meretricious
• flashy
• garish
• glitzy
• ostentatious
• kitschy
• swank
• seedy
• tacky
• kitsch
• sham
• splashy
• phony
• phoney
• ultracheap
• brummagem
• supercheap

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• good
• excellent
• superior
• fine
• first-class
• high-grade
• handsome
• elegant
• first-rate
• top-notch
• tasteful
• refined
• polished
• handcrafted

6

as in pitiful

deserving of one's pity

aw, the poor kitten hurt its paw

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pitiful
• pathetic
• miserable
• wretched
• sorry
• horrible
• terrible
• sad
• pitiable
• disturbing
• piteous
• impressive
• awful
• deplorable
• emotional
• heartbreaking
• lamentable
• regrettable
• rueful
• mournful
• inspiring
• heartrending
• distressing
• moving
• poignant
• affecting
• touching
• sorrowful
• stirring
• woeful
• upsetting
• grievous

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unimpressive
• uninspiring

Try This Instead

For

Try This

poor quality

lousy quality

inadequate quality

low quality

terrible quality

awful quality

a poor judgment

an unwise judgment

a lousy judgment

a questionable judgment

a horrible judgment

an improper judgment

a poor performance

a weak performance

an unacceptable performance

a negative performance

an inadequate performance

a horrendous performance

a poor condition

a deteriorated condition

a shabby condition

a sub-par condition

a shoddy condition

a pitiful condition

poor nutrition

unbalanced nutrition

improper nutrition

deficient nutrition

unhealthy nutrition

insufficient nutrition

Examples of poor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

What’s more, a growing body of research has found that poor air quality is often concentrated in communities of color, which are disproportionately close to fossil fuel infrastructure. —Vox Staff, Vox, 24 Oct. 2024

Between the lines: News deserts tend to be poorer, older, and less educated. —Sara Fischer, Axios, 24 Oct. 2024

The company’s poor financial performance last quarter and weak profit forecast proved to be the last straw for the CVS board. —Phil Wahba, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2024

The Trophy Bride, a comedy drama about a poor family attempting to fake their way into high society, has been sold to 3388 Films for the U.S., Canada and all EU European territories, as well as to Infinity Entertainment for Australia and New Zealand. —Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2024