51Թ

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View synonyms for

poor

[ poor ]

adjective

poorer, poorest.
  1. having little or no money, goods, or other means of support:

    She came from a poor family struggling to survive.

    Synonyms: , , , , , , ,

    Antonyms: ,

  2. Law. dependent upon charity or public support.
  3. (of a country, institution, etc.) meagerly supplied or endowed with resources or funds.
  4. characterized by or showing poverty.
  5. deficient or lacking in something specified:

    a region poor in mineral deposits.

    Synonyms:

  6. faulty or inferior, as in construction:

    poor workmanship.

    Synonyms: ,

  7. (of land or soil) lacking abundance or productivity:

    poor soil.

    Synonyms: , ,

    Antonyms:

  8. excessively lean or emaciated, as cattle.

    Synonyms: , , ,

  9. of an inferior, inadequate, or unsatisfactory kind:

    poor health.

  10. lacking in skill, ability, or training:

    a poor cook.

  11. deficient in moral excellence; cowardly, abject, or mean.
  12. scanty, meager, or paltry in amount or number:

    a poor audience.

  13. They shared their poor meal with a stranger.

  14. The poor dog was limping.

    Synonyms: , ,



noun

(used with a plural verb)
  1. Usually the poor. Often Disparaging and Offensive. poor people collectively.

poor

/ pʊə; pɔː /

adjective

    1. lacking financial or other means of subsistence; needy
    2. ( as collective noun; preceded by the )

      the poor

  1. characterized by or indicating poverty

    the country had a poor economy

  2. deficient in amount; scanty or inadequate

    a poor salary

  3. whenpostpositive, usually foll by in badly supplied (with resources, materials, etc)

    a region poor in wild flowers

  4. lacking in quality; inferior
  5. giving no pleasure; disappointing or disagreeable

    a poor play

  6. prenominal deserving of pity; unlucky

    poor John is ill again

  7. poor man's something
    a (cheaper) substitute for something
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Pronunciation Note

In North and North Midland U.S. English, the vowel of poor is most often [oo]. Poor and sure thus contrast with pour and shore: [p, oo, r], [sh, oo, r] versus [pawr], [shawr] or [pohr], [shohr]. In the South Midland and South, the vowel of poor is generally [aw] or [oh] (often with the final (r) dropped), which means that in these areas, poor and pour are homophones, as are sure and shore. Both types of pronunciation exist in the British Isles.
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Derived Forms

  • ˈǴǰԱ, noun
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Other 51Թ Forms

  • Ǵǰ·Ա noun
  • ԴDz·Ǵǰ noun
  • ܲ·-Ǵǰ adjective
  • ܲ·-Ǵǰ·ly adverb
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of poor1

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English pov(e)re, from Old French povre, from Latin pauper; pauper
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of poor1

C13: from Old French povre, from Latin pauper; see pauper , poverty
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Idioms and Phrases

  1. poor as Job's turkey, Southern and South Midland U.S. extremely poor.
  2. poor as a church mouse, extremely poor.
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Synonym Study

Poor, impecunious, impoverished, penniless refer to those lacking money. Poor is the simple term for the condition of lacking means to obtain the comforts of life: a very poor family. Impecunious often suggests that the poverty is a consequence of unwise habits: an impecunious actor. Impoverished often implies a former state of greater plenty, from which one has been reduced: the impoverished aristocracy. Penniless may mean destitute, or it may apply simply to a temporary condition of being without funds: The widow was left penniless with three small children.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

She has said she would rather die than be poor, and her oldest son has said his entire life is tied to his dad’s business.

From

Since taking office, he’s faced many of the problems that bedeviled prior sheriffs: poor jail conditions, sprawling consent decrees, allegations about deputy gangs and persistent staffing woes.

From

She said she paid each time but it sometimes took longer than five minutes due to poor phone signal and problems with the payment app.

From

Also to be considered are the benefits of adopting a fresh approach under a new head coach to ensure the deficiencies that have contributed to such a poor campaign are not repeated.

From

A week ago Guardiola admitted it had been a "poor" season and he had done a "bad" job.

From

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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