indigence
State of need
Indigence is the state of being extremely poor—poverty so severe that basic necessities are difficult to obtain.
The word is formal and somewhat literary, more likely to appear in legal documents or social policy discussions than casual speech: The charity provides assistance to families living in indigence.
Someone in this condition is indigent.
Extreme poverty, lacking necessities
- penuryExtreme lack of money
- pauperismCondition of being destitute
- impoverishmentState of extreme deprivation
- pennilessnessComplete lack of funds
beggary · impecuniosity · insolvency · bankruptcy · dispossession · homelessness · squalor · privation
Deficiency or absence
- dearthAcute shortage of something
- scarcityInsufficiency of something needed
- shortageDeficient supply of necessities
- insufficiencyShortfall in amount needed
deficiency · paucity · meagerness · bareness · emptiness · depletion · deficit · exiguity
Severe lack of resources
- inequalityUnequal distribution of resources
- underclassLowest socioeconomic group
- unemploymentBeing without paid work
- exploitationSelfish use of others
marginalization · underdevelopment · disenfranchisement · slum · ghetto · favela · shantytown · deprivation
Suffering from difficult circumstances
- privationLack of necessities
- adversitySevere difficulty or suffering
- struggleLabored effort against resistance
- sufferingSustained experience of distress
affliction · tribulation · misfortune · austerity · difficulty · distress · woe · duress
Comfort and prosperity
- charityVoluntary aid for others
- almsGifts to the destitute
- reliefEasing of distress
- assistanceSupport or aid given
aid · benefits · subsidy · food stamps · soup kitchen · shelter · philanthropy · donations
destitution
Extreme poverty, lacking necessities
- penuryExtreme lack of money
- pauperismCondition of being destitute
- impoverishmentState of extreme deprivation
pennilessness · beggary · impecuniosity · insolvency · bankruptcy · dispossession · homelessness · squalor · privation · want
lack
Deficiency or absence
- dearthAcute shortage of something
- scarcityInsufficiency of something needed
- shortageDeficient supply of necessities
insufficiency · deficiency · paucity · meagerness · bareness · emptiness · depletion · deficit · exiguity · deprivation
poverty
Severe lack of resources
- inequalityUnequal distribution of resources
- underclassLowest socioeconomic group
- unemploymentBeing without paid work
exploitation · marginalization · underdevelopment · disenfranchisement · slum · ghetto · favela · shantytown · deprivation · socioeconomic
hardship
Suffering from difficult circumstances
- privationLack of necessities
- adversitySevere difficulty or suffering
- struggleLabored effort against resistance
suffering · affliction · tribulation · misfortune · austerity · difficulty · distress · woe · duress · ordeal
welfare
Comfort and prosperity
assistance · aid · benefits · subsidy · food stamps · soup kitchen · shelter · philanthropy · donations · handout
- povertypoverty line, poor, poverty rate, impoverished, generational poverty
- hard timeshardship, struggle, struggling, unemployment, tough times
- hardshiphardship, adversity, difficulty, trouble, struggle
- money troublesdebt relief, bad debt, bankruptcy filing, paycheck to paycheck, struggling
- deprivationlack, deprivation, need, want, shortage
- scarcityscarcity, scarce, shortage, scant, scanty