destitution

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destitution

/dɛstɪˈtuːʃən/ US
/dɛstɪˈtjuːʃən/ UK
/dɛstɪˈtʃuːʃən/ UK

Rhymes with -uːʃən

Where it comes from

From Old French destitution, from Latin dēstitūtiō (“abandoning”), from dēstituō.

noun destitutions

countable, obsolete, uncountable The action of deserting or abandoning.
archaic, countable, uncountable Discharge from office; dismissal.
countable, uncountable The condition of lacking something. He requires of his fellow man obedience to a very creditable code of morals, but he observes without shame or disapproval his God's utter destitution of morals.
countable, uncountable An extreme state of poverty, in which a person is almost completely lacking in resources or means of support. Destitution forces many asylum seekers to end up working for extremely low wages in catering, cleaning and construction, for example, without any protection against unscrupulous employers.
Similar: indigence

Translations

Every language

noun condition of lacking something

Español	inopia
Português	destituição
Français	dénuement

noun extreme state of poverty

Español	inopia
हिन्दी	कंगाली kaṅgālī
Kiswahili	ufukara
Português	penúria, indigência
Français	indigence
Deutsch	Armut
Ελληνικά	ένδεια éndeia, απορία aporía
Русский	нужда́ nuždá, нищета́ niščetá

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MLA

"destitution." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/destitution. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

destitution. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/destitution

Chicago

"destitution." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/destitution.

BibTeX

@misc{destitution_2026,
  title = {destitution},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/destitution},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}