ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary BuilderWordsDdestitute
ISEE/SSAThard
destitute
Meaning: without the basic necessities of life, especially due to extreme poverty
destitute in a sentence
How destitute is used in real sentences:
After the factory closed, many families in town became destitute within months.
When the harvest failed for the third year in a row, entire villages were left destitute and dependent on outside aid.
“Several households had been destitute, trading furniture for food and crowding into relatives’ apartments.”
— from the passage Voices Across Generations
Synonyms for destitute
Other words for destitute — impoverished, penniless and needy — carry the same meaning.
- impoverished
- penniless
- needy
Antonyms of destitute
Words that mean the opposite of destitute:
- wealthy
- prosperous
- affluent
Where it comes from
From Latin destituere 'to abandon, forsake'
Memory hook
DESTITUTE — 'de-' (without) + sounds like 'institute' resources, left with none.