Poor Definition

po͝or
poorest, poorer
adjective
poorest, poorer
Lacking material possessions; having little or no means to support oneself; needy; impoverished.
Webster's New World
Having insufficient wealth to meet the necessities or comforts of life or to live in a manner considered acceptable in a society.
American Heritage
Indicating or characterized by poverty.
Webster's New World
Lacking in some quality or thing.
Webster's New World
Not adequate in quality or quantity; inferior.
A poor performance; poor wages.
American Heritage
noun
Poor people considered as a group.
The urban poor are in need of homes.
American Heritage
(with "the") Those who have little or no possessions or money, taken as a group.
The poor are always with us.
Wiktionary
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
  • rich people
  • rich
idiom
the poor
  • poor, or needy, people collectively
Webster's New World

Other Word Forms of Poor

Adjective

Base Form:
poor
Comparative:
poorer
Superlative:
poorest

Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Poor

  • the poor

Origin of Poor

  • From Middle English povre, povere, from Old French (Anglo-Norman) povre, poure (Modern French pauvre), from Latin pauper, from Old Latin *pavo-pars (“getting little"), from Proto-Indo-European *ph₁w- (“smallness"). Cognate with Old English fÄ“awa (“little, few"). Displaced native Middle English earm, arm (“poor") (from Old English earm; See arm), Middle English wantsum, wantsome (“poor, needy") (from Old Norse vant (“deficiency, lack, want"), Middle English unlede (“poor") (from Old English unlÇ£de, Middle English unweli, unwely (“poor, unwealthy") (from Old English un- + weliÄ¡ (“well-to-do, prosperous, rich").

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English poure from Old French povre from Latin pauper pau-1 in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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