Impoverish

Pronunciation: /ɪmˈpɑvərɪʃ/

Definitions of impoverish

verb to make someone or something poor or impoverished

Example Sentences

A1 Lack of rain can impoverish crops.

A2 The economic crisis has the potential to impoverish many families.

B1 The government's policies have led to the impoverishment of the middle class.

B2 Corruption at the highest levels can impoverish an entire nation.

C1 The war has continued to impoverish the already struggling population.

C2 The company's unethical practices have been known to impoverish entire communities.

Examples of impoverish in a Sentence

formal The economic policies implemented by the government are likely to further impoverish the already struggling population.

informal Spending all your money on unnecessary things will only impoverish you in the long run.

slang If you keep gambling like that, you're going to end up completely impoverished.

figurative Lack of empathy can impoverish relationships, leaving them devoid of emotional richness.

Grammatical Forms of impoverish

• past tense: impoverished
• plural: impoverish
• comparative: more impoverished
• superlative: most impoverished
• present tense: impoverishes
• future tense: will impoverish
• perfect tense: has impoverished
• continuous tense: is impoverishing
• singular: impoverish
• positive degree: impoverish
• infinitive: impoverish
• gerund: impoverishing
• participle: impoverished

Origin and Evolution of impoverish

First Known Use: 1400 year

Language of Origin: Old French and Latin

Story behind the word: The word 'impoverish' originated from the Old French word 'empoverir' which came from the Latin word 'inpauperare' meaning 'to make poor'.

Evolution of the word: Over time, the word 'impoverish' has retained its original meaning of making someone poor or deprived of wealth or resources.