Poor Definition & Meaning

poor
adjective
  1. deserving or inciting pity; "a hapless victim"; "miserable victims of war"; "the shabby room struck her as extraordinarily pathetic"- Galsworthy; "piteous appeals for help"; "pitiable homeless children"; "a pitiful fate"; "Oh, you poor thing"; "his poor distorted limbs"; "a wretched life"
  2. having little money or few possessions; "deplored the gap between rich and poor countries"; "the proverbial poor artist living in a garret"
  3. characterized by or indicating poverty; "the country had a poor economy"; "they lived in the poor section of town"
  4. lacking in specific resources, qualities or substances; "a poor land"; "the area was poor in timber and coal"; "food poor in nutritive value"
  5. not sufficient to meet a need; "an inadequate income"; "a poor salary"; "money is short"; "on short rations"; "food is in short supply"; "short on experience"
  6. unsatisfactory; "a poor light for reading"; "poor morale"; "expectations were poor"
noun
  1. people without possessions or wealth (considered as a group); "the urban poor need assistance"

Synonyms for poor

bad adv

with great intensity (`bad' is a nonstandard variant for `badly'); "the injury hurt badly

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beggarly adj

marked by poverty befitting a beggar; "a beggarly existence in the slums

♫ Rhymes
broke adj

lacking funds; "`skint' is a British slang term"

♫ Rhymes
bust adj

lacking funds; "`skint' is a British slang term" a complete failure

♫ Rhymes ↔ Synonyms
deficient adj

inadequate in amount or degree; "a deficient education"; "deficient in common sense"; "lacking in stamina

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destitute adj

poor enough to need help from others completely wanting or lacking; "writing barren of insight

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hapless adj

deserving or inciting pity; "a hapless victim"; "miserable victims of war

♫ Rhymes ↔ Synonyms
hardscrabble adj

barely satisfying a lower standard; "the sharecropper's hardscrabble life"

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impecunious adj

not having enough money to pay for necessities

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impoverished adj

poor enough to need help from others destroyed financially; "the broken fortunes of the family"

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"Poor" in song lyrics

See how poor is used in real songs:

  • "Crucify the rhyme like Jesus, lead up on the poor"
    1.4.0. Productions f/ Franky Botts, Othorized F.A.M. — Salute
  • "Mingled with the rich, a product of the poor"
    The 7A3 f/ Frank Stallone — Take You Back (Home Sweet Home)
  • "No support, pirate moving in ya ships poor"
    9th Prince f/ Akir, AR.Change.L — Top Secret

Words that rhyme with poor

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Usage tips for "poor"

Understanding the precise definition of a word helps you use it with confidence. When using "poor" in your writing, consider whether you need the word itself or one of its synonyms — subtle differences in meaning can change the tone of a sentence. If you're writing poetry or song lyrics, check the rhymes for poor to find words that pair well.

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♫ Rhymes with poor ↔ Synonyms for poor 🔬 Words containing poor

Frequently asked questions

What does poor mean?
deserving or inciting pity; "a hapless victim"; "miserable victims of war"; "the shabby room struck her as extraordinarily pathetic"- Galsworthy; "piteous appeals for help"; "pitiable homeless children"; "a pitiful fate"; "Oh, you poor thing"; "his poor distorted limbs"; "a wretched life" having little money or few possessions; "deplored the gap between rich and poor countries"; "the proverbial poor artist living in a garret" characterized by or indicating poverty
What part of speech is poor?
Poor is an adjective and a noun.
How many definitions does poor have?
Poor has 7 definitions across 2 parts of speech (adjective, noun).

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