- poor
- poor [poor]adj.[ME pore < OFr povre < L pauper, poor < IE base * pōu-, small > FEW, FOAL]1.a) lacking material possessions; having little or no means to support oneself; needy; impoverishedb) indicating or characterized by poverty2. lacking in some quality or thing; specif.,a) lacking abundance; scanty; inadequate [poor crops]b) lacking productivity; barren; sterile [poor soil]c) lacking nourishment; feeble; emaciated [a poor body]d) lacking excellence or worth; below average, inferior, bad, etc. or paltry, mean, insignificant, etc.e) lacking good moral or mental qualities; mean-spirited; contemptiblef) lacking pleasure, comfort, or satisfaction [to have a poor time]g) lacking skill3. worthy of pity; unfortunate——————the poorpoor, or needy, people collectivelypoornessn.SYN.- POOR is the simple, direct term for one who lacks the resources for reasonably comfortable living; impoverished (see IMPOVERISH) is applied to one who having once had plenty is now reduced to poverty [an impoverished aristocrat ]; DESTITUTE implies such great poverty that the means for mere subsistence, such as food and shelter, are lacking [left destitute by the war ]; IMPECUNIOUS applies to one in a habitual state of poverty and suggests that this results from personal practices [an impecunious gambler ]; INDIGENT implies such relative poverty as results in a lack of luxuries and the endurance of hardships [books for indigent children ] -ANT. RICH, WEALTHY
English World dictionary. V. Neufeldt. 2014.