poor

(redirected from poorest)
Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Idioms.

poor

needy; penniless; destitute; poverty-stricken

Not to be confused with:

pore – read with attention; a minute orifice as in the skin

pour – rain heavily; send a liquid flowing: pour coffee

poor

(po͝or)

adj. poor·er, poor·est

a. Having insufficient wealth to meet the necessities or comforts of life or to live in a manner considered acceptable in a society.

b. Relating to or characterized by poverty: the poor side of town.

2. Deficient or lacking in a specified resource or quality: an area poor in timber and coal; a diet poor in calcium.

3. Not adequate in quality or quantity; inferior: a poor performance; poor wages.

4. Negative, unfavorable, or disapproving: has a poor opinion of the mayor.

5. Undernourished; lean. Used especially of animals.

6. Humble; meek: "Let the humble ones arise, the poor in heart be glad" (John Greenleaf Whittier).

7. Eliciting or deserving pity; pitiable: couldn't rescue the poor fellow.

n. (used with a pl. verb)

Poor people considered as a group: The urban poor are in need of homes.

[Middle English poure, from Old French povre, from Latin pauper; see pau- in Indo-European roots.]

poor′ness n.

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.

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.

poor

(pʊə; pɔː)

adj

a. lacking financial or other means of subsistence; needy

b. (as collective noun; preceded by the): the poor.

2. characterized by or indicating poverty: the country had a poor economy.

3. deficient in amount; scanty or inadequate: a poor salary.

4. (when: postpositive, usually foll by in) badly supplied (with resources, materials, etc): a region poor in wild flowers.

5. lacking in quality; inferior

6. giving no pleasure; disappointing or disagreeable: a poor play.

7. (prenominal) deserving of pity; unlucky: poor John is ill again.

8. poor man's something a (cheaper) substitute for something

[C13: from Old French povre, from Latin pauper; see pauper, poverty]

ˈpoorness n

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

poor

(pʊər)

adj. -er, -est,
n. adj.

1. having little or no money, goods, or other means of support.

2. Law. dependent upon charity or public support.

3. (of a country, institution, etc.) meagerly supplied or endowed with resources or funds.

4. characterized by or showing poverty.

5. lacking in something specified: a region poor in mineral deposits.

6. faulty or inferior: poor workmanship.

7. deficient in desirable ingredients or qualities: poor soil.

8. lacking in ability or training: a poor cook.

9. wretched; unfortunate: The poor thing has no friends.

10. scanty or meager: poor attendance.

11. humble; modest.

12. the poor, poor persons collectively: aid for the poor.

[1150–1200; Middle English pov(e)re < Old French povre < Latin pauper]

poor′ish, adj.

poor′ness, n.

syn: poor, impecunious, impoverished, penniless refer to those lacking money. poor is the simple word for the condition of lacking the means to obtain the comforts of life: a very poor family. impecunious often suggests that the poverty is a consequence of unwise habits: an impecunious actor. impoverished often implies a former state of greater plenty: the impoverished aristocracy. penniless refers to extreme poverty; it means entirely without money: The widow was left penniless.

poor

cacography - Bad handwriting or poor spelling.
illegible, unreadable - Illegible refers to bad handwriting, while unreadable refers to poor writing.
heterography, inorthography - Incorrect or poor spelling is heterography or inorthography.
penurious - A synonym for "poor, in need."

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun	1.	poor - people without possessions or wealth (considered as a group); "the urban poor need assistance" poor people plural, plural form - the form of a word that is used to denote more than one people - (plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively; "old people"; "there were at least 200 people in the audience" homeless - poor people who unfortunately do not have a home to live in; "the homeless became a problem in the large cities" needy - needy people collectively; "they try to help the needy" rich, rich people - people who have possessions and wealth (considered as a group); "only the very rich benefit from this legislation"
Adj.	1.	poor - deserving or inciting pity; "a hapless victim"; "miserable victims of war"; "the shabby room struck her as extraordinarily pathetic"- Galsworthy; "piteous appeals for help"; "pitiable homeless children"; "a pitiful fate"; "Oh, you poor thing"; "his poor distorted limbs"; "a wretched life" misfortunate, pathetic, piteous, hapless, miserable, pitiable, pitiful, wretched unfortunate - not favored by fortune; marked or accompanied by or resulting in ill fortune; "an unfortunate turn of events"; "an unfortunate decision"; "unfortunate investments"; "an unfortunate night for all concerned"
	2.	poor - having little money or few possessions; "deplored the gap between rich and poor countries"; "the proverbial poor artist living in a garret" underprivileged - lacking the rights and advantages of other members of society rich - possessing material wealth; "her father is extremely rich"; "many fond hopes are pinned on rich uncles"
	3.	poor - characterized by or indicating poverty; "the country had a poor economy"; "they lived in the poor section of town" rich - suggestive of or characterized by great expense; "a rich display"
	4.	poor - lacking in specific resources, qualities or substances; "a poor land"; "the area was poor in timber and coal"; "food poor in nutritive value" rich - having an abundant supply of desirable qualities or substances (especially natural resources); "blessed with a land rich in minerals"; "rich in ideas"; "rich with cultural interest"
	5.	poor - not sufficient to meet a need; "an inadequate income"; "a poor salary"; "money is short"; "on short rations"; "food is in short supply"; "short on experience" inadequate, short insufficient, deficient - of a quantity not able to fulfill a need or requirement; "insufficient funds"
	6.	poor - unsatisfactory; "a poor light for reading"; "poor morale"; "expectations were poor" bad - having undesirable or negative qualities; "a bad report card"; "his sloppy appearance made a bad impression"; "a bad little boy"; "clothes in bad shape"; "a bad cut"; "bad luck"; "the news was very bad"; "the reviews were bad"; "the pay is bad"; "it was a bad light for reading"; "the movie was a bad choice"

poor

adjective

1. impoverished, broke (informal), badly off, hard up (informal), short, in need, needy, on the rocks, penniless, destitute, poverty-stricken, down and out, skint (Brit. slang), in want, indigent, down at heel, impecunious, dirt-poor (informal), on the breadline, flat broke (informal), penurious, on your uppers, stony-broke (Brit. slang), necessitous, in queer street, without two pennies to rub together (informal), on your beam-ends He was one of thirteen children from a poor family.
impoverished rich, wealthy, prosperous, affluent, well-off, comfortable (informal), well-heeled (informal)

2. unfortunate, pathetic, miserable, unlucky, hapless, pitiful, luckless, wretched, ill-starred, pitiable, ill-fated I feel sorry for that poor child.
unfortunate successful, lucky, fortunate

3. inferior, unsatisfactory, mediocre, second-rate, sorry, weak, pants (informal), rotten (informal), faulty, feeble, worthless, shabby, shoddy, low-grade, below par, substandard, low-rent (informal), crappy (slang), valueless, no great shakes (informal), rubbishy, poxy (slang), piss-poor (slang), chickenshit (U.S. slang), not much cop (Brit. slang), half-pie (N.Z. informal) The wine is very poor. He was a poor actor.
inferior excellent, valuable, superior, first-class, exceptional, satisfactory, first-rate

4. meagre, inadequate, insufficient, reduced, lacking, slight, miserable, pathetic, incomplete, scant, sparse, deficient, skimpy, measly, scanty, pitiable, niggardly, straitened, exiguous poor wages and terrible working conditions A poor crop has sent vegetable prices spiralling.
meagre complete, thick, sufficient, adequate, satisfactory, dense, ample, abundant, plentiful

5. unproductive, barren, fruitless, bad, bare, exhausted, depleted, impoverished, sterile, infertile, unfruitful Mix in some planting compost to improve poor soil when you dig.
unproductive yielding, productive, fertile, fruitful, teeming

Quotations
"The poor man is happy; he expects no change for the worse" [Demetrius]
"The poor always ye have with you" Bible: St. John
"Poor and content is rich and rich enough" [William Shakespeare Othello]

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

poor

adjective

1. Having little or no money or wealth:

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

Informal: broke, strapped.

Idioms: hard up, on one's uppers.

2. Below a standard of quality:

bad, bum, unsatisfactory.

Idioms: below par, not up to scratch.

3. Of decidedly inferior quality:

base, cheap, lousy, miserable, paltry, rotten, shoddy, sleazy, trashy.

Informal: cheesy.

Slang: crummy, schlocky.

4. Conspicuously deficient in quantity, fullness, or extent:

exiguous, meager, puny, scant, scanty, skimpy, spare, sparse, stingy, thin.

Slang: measly.

5. Arousing or deserving pity:

pathetic, piteous, pitiable, pitiful, rueful, ruthful.

Translations

بائِس، مَسْكينرَديءفَقيرفَقِير

chudýmizernýnebohýubohýchabý

fattigstakkelsdårlig

arm mangelhaft mies

φτωχός δόλιος φτωχικός

pobre malo escaso

köyhäköyhätvaratonheikkolaatuinenkehno

pauvre indigent insuffisant maigre malheureux

siromašan

szegény

aumingjafátækurlélegur, lakur

povero misero povera precario scadente

貧しい

가난한

vargšas

nabadzīgsnelaimīgs, nabaga-nepietiekamssliktstrūcīgs

arm arme beklagenswaardig berooid

fattig stakkarsde fattige

biedny

pobre

бедный жалкий нищий

revenslabubog

fattig

maskini

ยากจน

yoksul zavallı biçare fakir fena

nghèo

不好的劣质的可怜的穷的贫穷的

poor

[pʊəʳ]

A. ADJ (poorer (compar) (poorest (superl)))

1. (= not rich) [person, family, country] → pobre
a poor woman → una mujer pobre
a poor man → un pobre
poor people → gente f pobre, personas fpl pobres
pewter was the poor man's silver → el peltre era la plata de los pobres
they thought that cinema was a or the poor relation of theatre → pensaban que el cine era el pariente pobre del teatro
to be the poorer (for sth) the nation is the poorer for her death → la nación ha sufrido una gran pérdida con su muerte
it left me £5 the poorer → me dejó con 5 libras de menos
to be as poor as a church mouse → ser más pobre que las ratas

2. (= inferior, bad) [goods, service] → malo, de mala calidad
the wine was poor → el vino era malo or de mala calidad
Britain's poor economic performance → el bajo rendimiento económico obtenido por Gran Bretaña
she has a very poor attendance record → su expediente es muy malo en lo que a asistencia se refiere
they had made a poor job of it → habían hecho una chapuza
to be a poor imitation of sth → ser una burda or pobre imitación de algo
his decision shows poor judgment → su decisión denota poco juicio
to have a poor opinion of sb → tener un concepto poco favorable de algn
to come a poor second (to sth/sb) he came a poor second in the final race → quedó el segundo en la carrera final, a bastante distancia del primero
his family comes a poor second to his career → su familia queda relegada a segundo lugar tras su carrera

3. (= deficient) [memory] → malo; [soil] → pobre, estéril; [harvest] → pobre, escaso
I had a poor education → la educación que recibí no fue muy buena
many people eat a poor diet → mucha gente tiene una dieta pobre
"poor" (Scol) (as mark) → deficiente
soils that are poor in zinc → suelos que son pobres en zinc or que tienen bajo contenido en zinc

4. (= untalented) he was a poor actor → era un actor flojo
I'm a poor traveller → lo de viajar no lo llevo muy bien
she was a very poor swimmer → no era buena nadadora
to be poor at maths → no ser muy bueno en matemáticas
we are poor at marketing ourselves → no somos muy buenos a la hora de darnos publicidad

5. (= unfortunate) → pobre
the poor child was hungry → el pobre niño tenía hambre
poor little thing! → ¡pobrecito!, ¡pobre criaturita!
poor (old) you!; you poor (old) thing! → ¡pobrecito!
poor Mary's lost all her money → la pobre María ha perdido todo su dinero
he's very ill, poor chap → está grave el pobre
a poor little rich girl → una pobre niña rica
see also devil A2

B. NPL
the poor → los pobres
the rural/urban poor → los pobres de las zonas rurales/urbanas

C. CPD poor box N → cepillo m de las limosnas
poor law N (Hist) → ley f de asistencia pública
poor white N (US) persona pobre de raza blanca
see also relief A4

POOR

Position of "pobre"
You should generally put pobre after the noun when you mean poor in the sense of "not rich" and before the noun in the sense of "unfortunate": It's a poor area Es una región pobre The poor boy was trembling El pobre chico estaba temblando

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

poor

[ˈpʊə^r ˈpɔː^r]

adj

[person] (financially) → pauvre; [area, country] → pauvre
a poor family → une famille pauvre

to be poor in sth (= lacking) [+ resources, vitamins] → être pauvre en qch

[person] (= unfortunate) → pauvre
Poor David, he's very unlucky! → Pauvre David, il n'a vraiment pas de chance!
poor old ... → pauvre ...

(= bad) (gen) → médiocre; [sight] → faible
a poor mark → une note médiocre
a poor cook
BUT un piètre cuisinier.(e)/ère
poor wages and working conditions → des salaires bas et des conditions de travail médiocres
to be poor at doing sth [person] → ne pas être doué(e) pour faire qch
Hospitals are poor at collecting information
BUT Les hôpitaux ne savent pas collecter l'information comme il se doit.
They are very poor at keeping their customers informed of delays
BUT Ils n'informent que très rarement leurs clients des retards.

[attendance, turnout]
Attendance at the meetings has been very poor → Très peu de gens ont assisté aux réunions.
There was a poor turnout at the election → Il y a eu un fort taux d'abstention aux élections., Peu d'électeurs se sont déplacés.

npl
the poor → les pauvres mpl

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

poor

adj (+er)

→ arm; to get or become poorer → ärmer werden, verarmen; he was now one thousand pounds (the) poorer → er war nun um eintausend Pfund ärmer; a poor little rich girl → ein armes reiches Mädchen; poor whites arme weiße Bevölkerung im Süden der USA; a country poor in natural resources → ein an Bodenschätzen armes Land; to be poor in nutrients → arm an Nährstoffen sein; it’s the poor man’s Mercedes/Monte Carlo (inf) → das ist der Mercedes/das Monte Carlo des kleinen Mannes (inf); poor relation (fig) → Sorgenkind nt

(= not good) → schlecht; (= meagre) → mangelhaft; health, effort, performance, excuse → schlecht, schwach; sense of responsibility, leadership → schwach; soil → mager, schlecht; quality → schlecht, minderwertig; a poor joke (= weak) → ein schwacher Witz; (= in bad taste) → ein geschmackloser Witz; to show somebody/something in a poor light → jdn/etw in einem schlechten Licht darstellen; to get or become poorer (eyesight, hearing, weather) → schlechter werden, sich verschlechtern; she was a very poor swimmer → sie war ein sehr schlechter Schwimmer; he is a poor traveller/flier → er verträgt Reisen/Flugreisen nicht gut; a poor friend you are! → du bist mir ein schöner Freund!; fruit wines are a poor substitute for grape wine → Obstwein ist nur ein armseliger Ersatz für Wein aus Trauben; a poor imitation of something → eine schlechte or minderwertige Nachahmung von etw; a poor chance of success → schlechte Erfolgsaussichten pl; we had a poor time of it last night → gestern Abend lief auch alles schief (inf); only £55? that’s pretty poor, isn’t it? → nur £ 55? das ist aber ziemlich wenig!; that’s poor consolation → das ist ein schwacher Trost; it’s a poor thing for Britain if … → es ist schlecht für Großbritannien, wenn …; it will be a poor day for the world when … → es wird ein schwarzer Tag für die Welt sein, wenn …; this is a pretty poor state of affairs → das sieht aber gar nicht gut aus; it’s very poor of them not to have replied → es ist sehr unhöflich, dass sie uns etc (dat) → nicht geantwortet haben; he has a very poor grasp of the subject → er beherrscht das Fach sehr schlecht; he showed a poor grasp of the facts → er zeigte wenig Verständnis für die Fakten; he is a poor hand at public speaking → in der Öffentlichkeit zu sprechen liegt ihm nicht; she was always poor at languages → sie war immer schlecht or schwach in Sprachen; hospitals are poor at collecting information → Krankenhäuser sind schlecht im Sammeln von Informationen

(= pitiful, pitiable) → arm; you poor (old) chap (inf) → du armer Kerl (inf); poor you! → du Ärmste(r)!; she’s all alone, poor woman → sie ist ganz allein, die arme Frau; poor things, they look cold → die Ärmsten, ihnen scheint kalt zu sein; poor miserable creature that he is … → armseliger Kerl or Tropf (inf), → der er ist …; in my poor opinion (iro) → meiner bescheidenen or unmaßgeblichen Meinung nach (iro); it fell to my poor self to … → es blieb meiner Wenigkeit (dat) → überlassen, zu … (iro)

pl the poor → die Armen pl

poor

poor box

n → Armen- or Almosenbüchse f

poorhouse

n (old) → Armenhaus nt (old)

poor laws

pl → Armengesetze pl

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

poor

[pʊəʳ]

1. adj (-er (comp) (-est (superl))) (gen) → povero/a; (crop, light, visibility) → scarso/a; (effort, excuse) → misero/a; (memory, health, quality) → cattivo/a
he's a poor loser → non sa perdere
I'm a poor traveller → sopporto male i viaggi
it has a poor chance of success → ha scarse possibilità di successo
it's a poor thing when ... → è deplorevole che... + sub
to be poor at maths → essere debole in matematica
as poor as a church mouse → povero/a in canna
you poor thing! → poverino!
you poor fool! → povero scemo!

2. the poor npl → i poveri

poor

(puə) adjective

1. having little money or property. She is too poor to buy clothes for the children; the poor nations of the world.

2. not good; of bad quality. His work is very poor; a poor effort.

3. deserving pity. Poor fellow!

ˈpoorness noun

ˈpoorly adverb

not well; badly. a poorly written essay.

adjective

ill. He is very poorly.

poor

→ فَقِير chudý fattig arm φτωχός pobre köyhä pauvre siromašan povero 貧しい 가난한 arm fattig biedny pobre бедный fattig ยากจน yoksul nghèo 贫穷的

poor

a. pobre, necesitado-a; deficiente;

in ___ condition → en mala condición, en mal estado.

Mentioned in ?

References in classic literature ?

And, first, for a kingly; and it should be those who are accustomed by nature to submit the civil government of themselves to a family eminent for virtue: for an aristocracy, those who are naturally framed to bear the rule of free men, whose superior virtue makes them worthy of the management of others: for a free state, a war-like people, formed by nature both to govern and be governed by laws which admit the poorest citizen to share the honours of the commonwealth according to his worth.

View in context

--Who was ashamed of his riches and of the rich, and fled to the poorest to bestow upon them his abundance and his heart?

View in context

It was the golden end of afternoon as the coach stopped in front of the main hotel, The Golden Fortune; and for the benefit of any with not too long purses who shall hereafter light on Yellowsands, and be alarmed at the name and the marble magnificence of that delightful hotel, I may say that the charges there were surprisingly "reasonable," owing to one other wise provision of the young lord and master of that happy place, who had had the wit to realise that the nicest and brightest and prettiest people were often the poorest. Yellowsands, therefore, was carried on much like a club, to which you had only to be the right sort of person to belong.

View in context

Even the poorest and most broken-spirited people are sometimes liable to these paroxysms of pride and vanity which take the form of an irresistible nervous craving.

View in context

Bets increase in amount, one loss only serves to lead to a greater, until in the course of a single night's gambling, the richest chief may become the poorest varlet in the camp.

View in context

For the years after the Conquest are the poorest in English Literature.

View in context

The poorest paid architect, engineer, general, author, sculptor, painter, lecturer, advocate, legislator, actor, preacher, singer is constructively in heaven when he is at work; and as for the musician with the fiddle-bow in his hand who sits in the midst of a great orchestra with the ebbing and flowing tides of divine sound washing over him -- why, certainly, he is at work, if you wish to call it that, but lord, it's a sarcasm just the same.

View in context

Even in the narrowest and poorest and most ancient quarters of Frankfort neat and clean clothes were the rule.

View in context

The restaurant, consisting of one small room, was of the poorest class, and Cronshaw seemed to be its only customer.

View in context

--when I think of all this; only half-suspected, not so keenly known to me before --and how for forty years I have fed upon dry salted fare -- fit emblem of the dry nourishment of my soul --when the poorest landsman has had fresh fruit to his daily hand, and broken the world's fresh bread to my mouldy crusts --away, whole oceans away, from that young girl-wife I wedded past fifty, and sailed for Cape Horn the next day, leaving but one dent in my marriage pillow --wife?

View in context

Nothing remains but the landed interest; and this, in a political view, and particularly in relation to taxes, I take to be perfectly united, from the wealthiest landlord down to the poorest tenant.

View in context

That star which shines once in the life of every man, which shone for Job and Iris, the most unfortunate of the Jews and the poorest of the Greeks, is come at last to shine on me.