What do you call the state of being broke?

The state of being broke is called poverty, with synonyms like destitution, penury, indigence, impecuniousness, or more informal terms like being down-and-out, hard up, or skint. While "broke" often implies a temporary lack of cash, "poverty" can refer to a deeper, long-term lack of resources for basic needs, although many use them interchangeably for being without money.

What is the state of being broke called?

Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living.

What is the state of being extremely poor called?

Absolute poverty, often also referred to as extreme poverty or abject poverty, defines the situation where a person, or persons, are living in the most severe state of poverty.

What is a state of not having money called?

penniless. adjectiveas in without any money. bankrupt. broke.

What is the state of being poor?

The state of being poor, or poverty, is lacking sufficient money or material possessions for a socially acceptable standard of living, involving deprivation of essentials like food, clean water, housing, healthcare, and education, measured often as absolute poverty (lacking basics) or relative poverty (falling below societal norms). It's a multidimensional condition that can also mean scarcity, hardship, or living with constant fear of not meeting basic needs.
 

Dave Ramsey’s Definition of “Broke”

What is a synonym for the state of being poor?

Some common synonyms of poverty are destitution, indigence, penury, and want. While all these words mean "the state of one with insufficient resources," poverty may cover a range from extreme want of necessities to an absence of material comforts. Where would indigence be a reasonable alternative to poverty?

What are the 4 types of poverty?

There are four types of poverty typically discussed: absolute, relative, situational, and generational.

What is another way to say you are broke?

I'm low on funds. I'm short of cash. I'm broke. I'm strapped for cash.

What is a word for lack of wealth?

Synonyms for "lack of wealth" include poverty, destitution, impoverishment, indigence, penury, need, want, and hardship, with common adjectives being poor, penniless, broke, destitute, impoverished, indigent, needy, penurious, strapped, or down-and-out, depending on the context and severity. 

How do you say "financially broke"?

Here are some alternative phrases that should come in handy if you have to explain your situation or turn down an invitation for financial reasons.

1. I'm running a little low on funds.
2. I'm feeling the pinch at the moment.
3. I'm temporarily in the red.
4. I'm nearly running on empty.
5. My resources are a little depleted.

What is a fancy word for poor people?

Fancy words for poor people include indigent, impecunious, penurious, and destitute, which describe lacking money, while underprivileged or disadvantaged highlight lack of resources or opportunity, and mendicant or pauper refer more to begging or state-supported poverty. 

What is extreme poverty called?

Synonyms for extreme poverty include destitution, penury, indigence, want, and abject poverty, all describing a severe lack of basic necessities like food, shelter, and money, with terms like privation, beggary, and hand-to-mouth existence also highlighting profound financial hardship and deprivation. 

Is $40,000 a year considered poverty?

Whether $40,000 a year is considered poverty depends heavily on your household size and location, but generally, it's well above the official poverty line for individuals and small families but can feel like poverty in high-cost areas or for larger families, as it's often considered lower-middle class, not poverty. For a single person in the contiguous U.S. in 2025, the poverty guideline is about $15,650; for a family of four, it's around $32,150, meaning $40k is above poverty, but proximity to the poverty line for larger families or high-cost states (AK/HI) makes it much tighter, with some federal programs using 130-200% of FPL to define "low income". 

What is poverty in 3 words?

Poverty refers to a lack of the necessities of life—food, shelter and clothing.

What to say instead of "poor thing"?

Synonyms for "poor thing" express sympathy for someone unfortunate, like poor soul, wretch, sad case, miserable creature, or hapless individual. Depending on context, it can also refer to something of low quality, like shoddy, worthless, cheap, or a pathetic thing, while synonyms for poverty include destitute, impoverished, needy, or broke. 

What is the condition of extremely poor people?

Extreme poverty. Extreme poverty is the most severe type of poverty, defined by the United Nations (UN) as "a condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education and information.

What is the slang for not having money?

Common slang for not having money includes broke, skint (UK), tapped out, flat broke, strapped for cash, dirt-poor, and down and out, often used with phrases like "I'm on my uppers" or "I'm out of dough," describing being penniless or having little cash. 

What is a word for extreme poverty?

Synonyms for extreme poverty include destitution, penury, indigence, want, and abject poverty, all describing a severe lack of basic necessities like food, shelter, and money, with terms like privation, beggary, and hand-to-mouth existence also highlighting profound financial hardship and deprivation. 

What is a better word for low income?

Synonyms for low-income include underprivileged, impoverished, needy, indigent, disadvantaged, poverty-stricken, modest income, and limited income, with more direct terms being financially hardship, economically challenged, or working poor (though some find that term stigmatizing). For sensitive or formal contexts, using phrases like "people experiencing homelessness," "food insecure," or defining income brackets is preferred over potentially pejorative labels like "the poor" or "low-class," according to Pratt Institute. 

What is a slang term for "broke"?

bad off beggared beggarly behind the eight ball broke dirt poor empty-handed fortuneless hard up impecunious in need in want moneyless necessitous pauperized penurious pinched reduced stone broke strapped truly needy unprosperous.

What is gen z slang for money?

Gen Z uses slang like bread, guap, moola, cheddar, and paper for money, often focusing on acquiring it through effort (like finessing or making it rain) or showing off wealth with terms like drip or flexing, while also viewing traditional cash as somewhat outdated. 

What is the idiom for having no money?

In this video, I'll teach you 5 fun idioms you can use instead of just saying I don't have money: 👉 I'm broke 👉 I'm flat broke 👉 I'm penniless 👉 I'm on my last dollar 👉 I'm feeling the pinch Use these expressions in daily life and sound like a native speaker!

What is hidden poverty?

Poverty statistics exclude people living in hidden poverty, which occurs when an individual earns above the poverty line, but cannot afford adequate food, hydro bills, childcare, or other basic necessities.

What are the 5 P's of poverty?

“Why are poor countries poor?” Cate distilled the reasons into the 5 Ps of Poverty: Place, Past, People, Politics, and Peace. She then illustrated each P by asking a series of questions to construct a case study comparing a wealthy nation (the US) and a LDC (Chad, in Central Africa).

What are the 7 characteristics of poverty?

There are at least nine dimension of poverty need to be considered, such as: (1) inability to meet the basic needs (foods, clothes, and shelter); (2) low accessibility to other basic needs (health, education, sanitation, clean water, and transportation); (3) inability to do capital accumulation: (4) vulnerable to ...