reduced circumstances
Fallen on hardship
Reduced circumstances is a genteel, somewhat old-fashioned way of saying someone has lost wealth or social standing.
The phrase typically describes people who once lived comfortably but now struggle financially: After her husband's death, she found herself in reduced circumstances.
It softens the bluntness of saying someone is poor.
- indigenceExtreme poverty, total want
- destitutionExtreme poverty, lacking necessities
- down and outLacking money and hope
- hardshipSuffering from difficult circumstances
- embarrassmentSelf-conscious unease
poverty · fallen on hard times · misery · deprivation · making ends meet · insolvency · lost fortune · scarcity · bankruptcy · impoverished · austerity · tight budget · financial · straitened · pinched · difficulty · decline · struggle
reduced circumstancesgentility
Refined social standing
high society · upper crust · respectability · good standing · living well
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