poor
 poor (po͝or)adj. poor·er, poor·est
1. Having little or no wealth and few or no possessions.
2. Lacking in a specified resource or quality:
an area poor in timber and coal; a diet poor in calcium.
3. Not adequate in quality; inferior:
a poor performance.
4.
a. Lacking in value; insufficient:
poor wages.
b. Lacking in quantity:
poor attendance.
5. Lacking fertility:
poor soil.
6. Undernourished; lean.
7. Humble:
a poor spirit.
8. Eliciting or deserving pity; pitiable:
couldn't rescue the poor fellow.n. (used with a pl. verb)
People with little or no wealth and possessions considered as a group:
The urban poor are in need of homes. [Middle English poure, from Old French povre, from Latin pauper. See pau-1 in Indo-European Roots.] poorʹness n.
Synonyms: poor, indigent, needy, impecunious, penniless, impoverished, poverty-stricken, destitute
These adjectives mean lacking the money or the means for an adequate or comfortable life. Poor is the most general: “Resolve not to be poor: whatever you have, spend less. Poverty is a great enemy to human happiness” (Samuel Johnson). Indigent and needy refer to one in need or want: indigent people living on the street; distributed food to needy families. Impecunious and penniless mean having little or no money: “Certainly an impecunious Subaltern was not a catch” (Rudyard Kipling). He made poor investments which left him penniless. One who is impoverished has been reduced to poverty: an impoverished, third-world country. Poverty-stricken means suffering from poverty and miserably poor: refugees living in poverty-stricken camps. Destitute means lacking any means of subsistence: tenants left destitute by the fire.
Usage Note: In informal speech poor is sometimes used as an adverb, as in They never played poorer. In formal usage more poorly would be required in this example.
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