Synonyms for poor
94 synonyms for “poor”, grouped by meaning. Dark green words mean nearly the same thing; light green ones are close in some uses.
Poor as in “pitiful”
adjective: deserving or inciting pity
- pitiful
- pathetic
- wretched
- cheap
- lousy
- shoddy
- inferior
- sorry
- piteous
- sad
- bad
- miserable
- low
- crummy
- slim
- substandard
- modest
- flimsy
- trashy
- pitiable
- woeful
- cheesy
- scrubby
- humble
- punk
- lowly
- slight
- rueful
- second-rate
- rubbish
- compassionate
- bum
- base
- gash
- unfortunate
- third-rate
- shit
- god-awful
- mid
- chintzy
- low-grade
- ruthful
Poor as in “impoverished”
adjective: having little money or few possessions
- impoverished
- destitute
- needy
- broke
- penniless
- pinched
- bankrupt
- broken
- disadvantaged
- indigent
- poverty-stricken
- impecunious
- penurious
- necessitous
- stone-broke
- flat
- beggar
- threadbare
- underprivileged
- insolvent
- stuck
- arm
- pauper
- empty-handed
- lower-class
- skint
- stony-broke
Poor as in “inadequate”
adjective: of insufficient quantity to meet a need
- inadequate
- deficient
- insufficient
- unsatisfactory
- dismal
- lean
- scant
- scarce
- paltry
- spare
- scanty
- sleazy
- lacking
- short
- measly
- sparse
- weak
- skimpy
- wanting
- slender
- exiguous
- jejune
- scantling
Poor as in “beggarly”
adjective: characterized by or indicating poverty
- beggarly
- mean
Can you name more synonyms for poor?
Synonym Showdown is a free word game: take turns naming synonyms, and call out anyone who’s bluffing. Play friends with a room code, go ranked, or race the clock in Score Attack.
Play now