indigence

AI In plain words

Writing a short explanation…

Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.

indigence

/ˈɪndɪd͡ʒəns/

Where it comes from

From Middle English indigence, late 14th century, from Old French indigence (13th century), from Latin indigentia, from indigentem, form of indigēre (“to need”), from indu (“in, within”) + egēre (“be in need, want”).

Only relation to antonym affluence is common Latinate suffix + -ence.

noun indigences

countable, uncountable Extreme poverty or destitution. On Professor Solanka’s street, well-heeled white youths lounged in baggy garments on roseate stoops, stylishly simulating indigence while they waited for the billionairedom that would surely be along sometime soon.
Similar: indigency · Opposite: affluence

Translations

Every language

noun poverty

Español	indigencia, inopia
Kiswahili	ufukara
Português	indigência
Français	indigence
Italiano	indigenza
Ελληνικά	πενία penía, ένδεια éndeia
Русский	бе́дность bédnostʹ, нужда́ nuždá

Talk about this word

Cite this

MLA

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

APA

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

Chicago

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

BibTeX

@misc{indigence_2026,
  title = {indigence},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/indigence},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}