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Definition of impoverish

impoverish

/ɪmˈpɑːvərɪʃ/
im · pov · er · ish
Adjective:impoverished
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Past Simple:impoverished
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Past Participle:impoverished
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Present Participle:impoverishing
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impoverish Lexical Profile

impoverish Game Scores & Validity

• verb

1

To make a person, community, or nation poor; to reduce to poverty or financial ruin.

Example

"Prolonged economic mismanagement and runaway inflation threatened to impoverish the middle class."

2

To exhaust the natural strength, fertility, richness, or intellectual vitality of something.

Example

"Years of intensive monoculture farming without crop rotation can severely impoverish the soil."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for impoverish
Antonyms
View all antonyms for impoverish

• Nearby Words

impotently
impound
impoundment
impoverish
impoverished
impoverishment
impracticable

Word Origin & Etymology

Borrowed from Old French empoveriss-, the extended stem of empoverir ('to make poor'), derived from en- ('make') and povre ('poor'), which ultimately traces back to Latin pauper.

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Impoverish. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/impoverish
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