ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary BuilderWordsIindigence
ISEE/SSAThard
indigence
Meaning: extreme poverty; state of lacking basic necessities
indigence in a sentence
How indigence is used in real sentences:
Years of drought pushed the farming village into deep indigence and hardship.
After losing his factory job and savings within a single year, he slid quietly into indigence, relying on neighbors for basic meals.
“After the textile mill closed, indigence forced families to skip meals or seek seasonal work elsewhere, scattering speakers across states.”
— from the passage Voices Across Generations
Synonyms for indigence
Other words for indigence — poverty, destitution and penury — carry the same meaning.
- poverty
- destitution
- penury
Antonyms of indigence
Words that mean the opposite of indigence:
- wealth
- affluence
- prosperity
Where it comes from
From Latin indigere 'to need'
Word parts
- -ance/-ence — Turns a verb or adjective into a noun naming a state, quality, or act.
indigence: indig (need) + -ence (state)
Memory hook
INDIGence sounds like 'in dig-ence' — a person in indigence must dig for whatever they can find to survive.