destitute

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des·ti·tute

(dĕs′tĭ-to͞ot′, -tyo͞ot′)

adj.

1. Lacking resources or the means of subsistence; completely impoverished.

2. Utterly lacking; devoid: Young recruits destitute of any experience.

[Middle English, from Latin dēstitūtus, past participle of dēstituere, to abandon : dē-, de- + statuere, to set; see stā- in Indo-European roots.]

des′ti·tute′ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

destitute

(ˈdɛstɪˌtjuːt)

adj

1. (Social Welfare) lacking the means of subsistence; totally impoverished

2. (foll by: of) completely lacking; deprived or bereft (of): destitute of words.

3. obsolete abandoned or deserted

[C14: from Latin dēstitūtus forsaken, from dēstituere to leave alone, from statuere to place]

ˈdestiˌtuteness n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

des•ti•tute

(ˈdɛs tɪˌtut, -ˌtyut)

adj., v. -tut•ed, -tut•ing. adj.

1. without means of subsistence; lacking food, clothing, and shelter.

2. deprived of, devoid of, or lacking (often fol. by of): destitute of feeling.

v.t.

3. to leave destitute.

[1350–1400; Middle English < Latin dēstitūtus, past participle of dēstituere to abandon, deprive of support =dē- de- + -stituere, comb. form of statuere to cause to stand]

des′ti•tute`ness, n.

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Adj.	1.	destitute - poor enough to need help from others impoverished, indigent, necessitous, needy, poverty-stricken poor - having little money or few possessions; "deplored the gap between rich and poor countries"; "the proverbial poor artist living in a garret"
	2.	destitute - completely wanting or lacking; "writing barren of insight"; "young recruits destitute of experience"; "innocent of literary merit"; "the sentence was devoid of meaning" devoid, barren, innocent, free nonexistent - not having existence or being or actuality; "chimeras are nonexistent"

destitute

adjective penniless, poor, impoverished, distressed, needy, on the rocks, insolvent, poverty-stricken, down and out, indigent, impecunious, dirt-poor (informal), on the breadline (informal), flat broke (informal), short, penurious, on your uppers, necessitous, in queer street (informal), moneyless, without two pennies to rub together (informal) destitute children who live on the streets

destitute of lacking, wanting, without, in need of, deprived of, devoid of, bereft of, empty of, drained of, deficient in, depleted in a country destitute of natural resources

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

destitute

adjective

1. Not having a desirable element:

barren, devoid, empty, innocent, lacking, void, wanting.

Idiom: in want of.

2. Having little or no money or wealth:

beggarly, down-and-out, impecunious, impoverished, indigent, necessitous, needy, penniless, penurious, poor, poverty-stricken.

Informal: broke, strapped.

Idioms: hard up, on one's uppers.

Translations

مُعْوِز، مُعْدِم، خالي الوِفاض

bez prostředkůstrádající

forarmet

mittellos

ενδεής

blásnauîur

indigente poverissimo

be lėšųskurstantis

nabadzīgstrūcīgs

lutfattig uten midler

bez prostriedkov

muhtaç yoksul

一贫如洗的缺乏的

destitute

[ˈdestɪtjuːt] ADJ

1. (= poverty-stricken) → indigente
to be (utterly) destitute → estar en la (más absoluta) miseria

2. (= lacking) destitute of → desprovisto de

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

destitute

[ˈdɛstɪtjuːt]

adj

(= poor) [person] → misérable, dans la misère
to be left destitute → être plongé(e) dans la misère

destitute of (= lacking) → dépourvu(e) de, dénué(e) de

npl
the destitute → les indigents mpl

destitute

adj

(= poverty-stricken) → mittellos; to be utterly destitute → bettelarm sein

(= lacking) → bar (→ of +gen)

n the destitute pl → die Mittellosen, die, die im Elend leben

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

destitute

[ˈdɛstɪˌtjuːt] adj (frm) → indigente
utterly destitute → ridotto/a in miseria
destitute of → privo/a di

destitute

(ˈdestitjuːt) adjective

in great need of food, shelter etc. They were left destitute when he died.

References in classic literature ?

In the majority of the shameful cases of disease and death from destitution, that shock the Public and disgrace the country, the illegality is quite equal to the inhumanity--and known language could say no more of their lawlessness.

View in context

The doctor, therefore, left it on the 17th of March, 1854, and fled to the frontier, where he remained for thirty-three days in the most abject destitution. He then managed to get back to Kano in November, thence to Kouka, where he resumed Denham's route after four months' delay.

View in context

Each, moreover, was in an odd state of destitution. Not one could bear his share of the fine; not one but evinced a wonderful twinkle of hope that each of the others (in succession) was the very man who could step in to make good the deficit.

View in context

Despite this destitution, the soldiers and officers went on living just as usual.

View in context

non--non--I am far from saying as much as THAT"--poor girl, her face declared a hundred times more than her tongue, that she was sincere--"I do not--CANNOT say I have no interest in one, who so generously overlooks my poverty, my utter destitution of all worldly greatness, and offers to share with me his fortune and his honorable position--"