indigent
adjective
in·di·gent
ˈin-di-jənt 
1
: suffering from extreme poverty : impoverished
2
a
archaic
: deficient
b
archaic
: totally lacking in something specified
indigent
noun
Synonyms
Examples of indigent in a Sentence
… every day, I fled the house and drove aimlessly over mountain roads that passed by indigent farms and strange, unpainted churches.
—
Mark Singer, New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2000 & 1 Jan. 2001
A land post was offered him in November, 1765, as Governor of Greenwich Hospital, a shelter for disabled and indigent seamen and a place affording many openings for jobbery (the contemporary term for bureaucratic graft).
—Barbara W. Tuchman, The First Salute, 1988
He went around climbing dark stairs and knocking on doors and taking flash photos of indigent families in their dwellings.
—E. L. Doctorow, Ragtime, (1974) 1975
Because he was indigent, the court appointed a lawyer to defend him.
The clinic provides free care for indigent patients.
Mark Singer, New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2000 & 1 Jan. 2001
A land post was offered him in November, 1765, as Governor of Greenwich Hospital, a shelter for disabled and indigent seamen and a place affording many openings for jobbery (the contemporary term for bureaucratic graft).
—Barbara W. Tuchman, The First Salute, 1988
He went around climbing dark stairs and knocking on doors and taking flash photos of indigent families in their dwellings.
—E. L. Doctorow, Ragtime, (1974) 1975
Because he was indigent, the court appointed a lawyer to defend him.
The clinic provides free care for indigent patients.
Recent Examples on the Web
Listen to this article A frustrating legal technicality has made defense lawyers who represent indigent clients vulnerable to fraud and identity theft — because the federal government is required by law to send their paychecks in the mail and not through direct deposit.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 19 Feb. 2024
See The Disruptors The money comes from a federal program designed to provide care to indigent HIV and AIDS patients.
—Liam Dillon, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2024
Key will still have to come back to court at a later date; Lane’s family is asking for $15,000 in restitution to pay for his funeral, an impossible number because Key is already indigent, Ermine said.
—Lisa J. Huriash, Sun Sentinel, 12 July 2024
At the turn of the millennium, about a third of Brazil’s population languished beneath the international poverty line (surviving on $2 a day), and about 15 percent was indigent (living on less than $1.25 a day).
—Jonathan Tepperman, Foreign Affairs, 14 Dec. 2015
See all Example Sentences for indigent 
John Annese, New York Daily News, 19 Feb. 2024
See The Disruptors The money comes from a federal program designed to provide care to indigent HIV and AIDS patients.
—Liam Dillon, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2024
Key will still have to come back to court at a later date; Lane’s family is asking for $15,000 in restitution to pay for his funeral, an impossible number because Key is already indigent, Ermine said.
—Lisa J. Huriash, Sun Sentinel, 12 July 2024
At the turn of the millennium, about a third of Brazil’s population languished beneath the international poverty line (surviving on $2 a day), and about 15 percent was indigent (living on less than $1.25 a day).
—Jonathan Tepperman, Foreign Affairs, 14 Dec. 2015
See all Example Sentences for indigent
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'indigent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near indigent
Cite this Entry
“Indigent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/indigent. Accessed 18 Aug. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
indigent
adjective
in·di·gent
ˈin-di-jənt
Legal Definition
indigent
adjective
in·di·gent
ˈin-də-jənt
: suffering from indigence
the indigent defendant was provided with counsel
indigent
noun
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