impoverishes
Makes one destitute
Impoverishes means makes poor or reduces to poverty.
A corrupt regime impoverishes its citizens; drought impoverishes farmers.
The word extends beyond money—anything that depletes or diminishes: Overfarming impoverishes the soil.
A narrow curriculum impoverishes the mind.
The constant interruptions impoverished her concentration.
Completely uses up
- drainsPipes removing wastewater
- bankruptsMakes financially insolvent
- emptiesDrains or depleted containers
- consumesTakes in completely
expends · uses up · saps · bleeds dry · strips · divests · robs · dispossesses
Those soliciting charity
- ruinsDecayed structural remains
- dispossessesDeprives of property
- disenfranchisesRemoves someone's voting rights
- marginalizesRelegates to insignificance
Severely reduces capacity
- underminesWeakens by stealth
- erodesWears away gradually
- sapsErodes vitality slowly
- degradesDiminishes in quality
enfeebles · impairs · deteriorates · attenuates · cripples · hollows out · guts · emasculates
Becomes smaller or weaker
- degradesDiminishes in quality
- stripsNarrow cut pieces
- hollows outEmpties the interior
- homogenizesMakes consistent throughout
flattens · sterilizes · dumbs down · trivializes · commodifies · whitewashes · sanitizes · waters down
Narrow cut pieces
- degradesDiminishes in quality
- desertifiesMakes land arid
- deforestsClears trees from land
- overworksLabors beyond healthy limits
exhausts
Completely uses up
- drainsPipes removing wastewater
- bankruptsMakes financially insolvent
- emptiesDrains or depleted containers
consumes · expends · uses up · saps · bleeds dry · strips · divests · robs · dispossesses · milks
beggars
Those soliciting charity
- ruinsDecayed structural remains
- dispossessesDeprives of property
- disenfranchisesRemoves someone's voting rights
debilitates
Severely reduces capacity
- underminesWeakens by stealth
- erodesWears away gradually
- sapsErodes vitality slowly
degrades · enfeebles · impairs · deteriorates · attenuates · cripples · hollows out · guts · emasculates · enervates
diminishes
Becomes smaller or weaker
- degradesDiminishes in quality
- stripsNarrow cut pieces
- hollows outEmpties the interior
homogenizes · flattens · sterilizes · dumbs down · trivializes · commodifies · whitewashes · sanitizes · waters down · cheapens
strips
Narrow cut pieces
- degradesDiminishes in quality
- desertifiesMakes land arid
- deforestsClears trees from land
overworks · devastates · blights · lays waste