impoverishedadjective
uk/ɪmˈpɒv.ər.ɪʃt/us/ɪmˈpɑː.vɚ.ɪʃt/formalvery poor:
an impoverished young actor
made weaker or worse in quality:
He warned that the breakdown of the family unit would lead to an impoverished society.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Deteriorating and making worse
- a step backwards idiom
- a turn of the screw idiom
- add
- afford
- aggravate
- backslide
- compound
- decline
- degrade
- disintegrate
- dog
- downgrade
- downhill
- exacerbate
- retrograde
- retrogress
- run yourself down
- seed
- slip
- slippery slope
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impoverish
verb [ T ] uk/ɪmˈpɒv.ər.ɪʃ/us/ɪmˈpɑː.vɚ.ɪʃ/formal
Excessive farming had impoverished the soil.
The new law is likely to further impoverish single parents.
impoverishment
noun [ U ] uk/ɪmˈpɒv.ər.ɪʃ.mənt/us/ɪmˈpɑː.vɚ.ɪʃ.mənt/formal
cultural/economic/spiritual impoverishment