destitute Hear it!

destitute Definition

des·ti·tute (destə to̵̅o̅t′, -tyo̵̅o̅t′)

adjective

  1. not having; being without; lacking (with of) destitute of trees
  2. lacking the necessities of life; living in complete poverty
  3. Obsolete abandoned; forsaken

Etymology: ME < L destitutus, pp. of destituere, to forsake, abandon < de-, down, away + statuere, to set, place: see statute

destitute Synonyms

destitute

modif.

impoverished, poverty-stricken, penniless; see poor 1. See syn. study at poor.

destitute Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • wood: Like those of the Wick river, its banks are totally destitute of wood.
  • tree: Charnwood Forest, in the NW. , is now nearly destitute of trees.

Modifying Another Word

  • utterly: If the marquis became bankrupt the convent would be utterly destitute.
  • wholly: An iron-bound door led into an adjoining cell, or vault, wholly destitute of windows, or any means of admitting light.
  • totally: Like those of the Wick river, its banks are totally destitute of wood.
  • entirely: The country between the mountain and this Lake, is completely barren, and entirely destitute of game.
  • nearly: Charnwood Forest, in the NW. , is now nearly destitute of trees.
  • almost: In The Railroad Children, the father is in prison and the family is almost destitute.

Adjective complement with noun phrase

  • leave: Consumerism often creates the problem of a false sense of happiness, leaving the consumer destitute of the desire to confront a higher calling.
  • make: This Act is making many asylum seekers literally destitute.

Modifies a noun

  • seeker: We hear from some of the west's most destitute asylum seekers.
  • widow: Joseph died when John was 3 leaving a destitute widow and six children.
  • boy: He regularly went out at night into the slum district to find destitute boys to help them.
  • child: The smallest contribution for the benefit of these destitute children may be forwarded to Thos.
  • woman: Many of the most destitute women in our study fell into one or both of these categories.
  • family: The workhouse was a last resort for destitute families.

Used with adjective complement

  • leave: When she was left destitute by the death of her husband she went on the stage first in London then touring the country.
  • become: Where such person, being casually within such parish, shall become destitute.
  • make: The report includes the first survey of people made destitute by Section 55.
  • end: At one stage he ended up destitute in a homeless men's hostel.