poor

noun

(with the) The poor people of a society or the world collectively, the poor class of a society.

(countable, originally chiefly Scotland) A poor person.

(card games) the second-to-last placer in Tycoon

A surname

(obsolete) Synonym of poor cod.

verb

(transitive, rare) Synonym of impoverish, to make poor.

(intransitive, obsolete) To become poor.

(obsolete) To call poor.

adjective

With no or few possessions or money, particularly in relation to contemporaries who do have them.

Of low quality.

(attributive only) Worthy of pity.

Inadequate, insufficient.

Deficient in a specified way.

Free from self-assertion; not proud or arrogant; meek.

Roots

paucuspauper- · Latin · few, little

Words related to poor

poormouth slummyadj piteousadj bezonian paupern woefuladj underclassesn pitifulnessn beggarlinessn scrannel wretchedlyadv pitiablenessn disadvantagedadj impecuniosityn pediculousadj povertyn

Synonyms & related words for poor

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of poor — including wretched, pitiful, miserable, pitiable, pathetic, inadequate. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to poor

Explore words related to poor — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include poormouth, slummy, piteous, bezonian, pauper, woeful, underclasses, pitifulness. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for poor

Common synonyms for poor include wretched, pitiful, miserable, pitiable, pathetic, inadequate, hapless, impoverished — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does poor come from?

The word poor breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root pauper-, from Latin paucus (“few, little”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.