Home › Words › D › destitutedestitute/ˈdɛstɪtʃuːt/destitute means lacking something; devoid.destitute is pronounced /ˈdɛstɪtʃuːt/.EtymologyFrom Middle English destitute, destitut, from Latin dēstitūtus.adjLacking something; devoid.Lacking money, poor, impoverished; especially, extremely so.e.g.“Near-synonym: penniless”verbTo impoverish; to strip of wealth, resources, etc.Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).Words closest in meaningBy meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.destitutely 76% match — In a destitute manner. vs destitute →destituent 76% match — Deficient; lacking. vs destitute →devoid 75% match — Completely without; having none of vs destitute →deprived 74% match — Subject to deprivation; poor. vs destitute →destituteness 72% match — The state or quality of being destitute. vs destitute →devoidness 72% match — The state or condition of being devoid. vs destitute →deficient 69% match — Lacking something essential; often construed with in. vs destitute →desolate 68% match — Deserted and devoid of inhabitants. vs destitute →