destitute
DES-tih-toot
/ˈdes.tɪ.tʃuːt/
Extremely poor, lacking the means to provide for oneself; entirely devoid of something.
Represents the most absolute form of economic collapse where a person lacks basic sustenance, income, shelter, and belongings.
The story behind the word. From Latin 'destitutus', past participle of 'destituere', meaning 'to abandon, forsake, or leave standing alone.' The word literally pictures someone left standing alone in the cold after everything supporting them has been removed.
Word relationships
- indigent: Indigent is a formal legal/social term for someone lacking money; destitute emphasizes complete physical abandonment and total lack of resources.
- penniless: Penniless focuses strictly on having no cash, while destitute implies lacking food, home, and survival resources.
- wealthy: Wealthy means possessing ample assets and financial security.
- prosperous: Prosperous describes thriving economic wellbeing and success.
Commonly confused with
- desolate: Desolate means lonely, uninhabited, or disconsolate, whereas destitute means completely lacking resources or money.
Word family
- destitution (noun): Extreme poverty; state of lacking all resources.
Collocations
- left destitute
- destitute of hope
- rendered destitute
- destitute families
Idioms & expressions
- destitute of common sense
Example sentences
- "At this festive season of the year, Mr. Scrooge, it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the Poor and destitute." Classic Literature Citation (Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol (1843))
- "The sudden natural disaster left thousands of families completely destitute and reliant on emergency international assistance." Humanitarian Relief Report
Memory hook
DESTITUTE sounds like DE-INSTITUTE: Standing outside an institution with no food, money, or shelter. Abandoned without a single penny or pillow.
When not to use
Do not use to describe someone who is temporarily short on spending cash but otherwise secure.
Fun facts
- In 19th-century British law, 'destitute' status was a legal requirement to gain admittance to parish workhouses.
Related words
Explore more words
deprivation, desolate, bleak, devastation, desolation, despicable
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