indigent

adjective

in·​di·​gent ˈin-di-jənt How to pronounce indigent (audio)
1
: suffering from extreme poverty : impoverished
2
a
archaic : deficient
b
archaic : totally lacking in something specified
indigent noun

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.
Recent Examples on the Web The founder of a District nonprofit serving homeless LGBTQ youths was charged Wednesday with money laundering and diverting to her personal bank accounts $150,000 of pandemic relief funds meant to support its operations for indigent clients. Casey Parks, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024 But some indigent families rent tax-credit apartments with vouchers or other aid. Jason Deparle Bobby Altman, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2024 Starting with life expectancy, data posted by The Equality of Opportunity Project indicates that American men in the highest income group live 15 years longer than the poorest men, while the wealthiest American women live 10 years longer than indigent women. Joshua Cohen, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 The first is the clients and his commitment to representing indigent defendants. Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Jan. 2024 From 2000 to 2011, several task forces successfully pressed for a series of reforms, including the creation of a state office to handle death penalty defense and indigent criminal appeals. Caleb Bedillion, ProPublica, 18 Sep. 2023 For her, these crumbling structures are crowded with ghosts — of indigent children and fellow nurses lost to disease or time. John Freeman Gill, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2023 In the 1st Circuit Court District, which covers seven counties in northeast Mississippi, chief Circuit Judge Paul Funderburk issued an order in July directing lower court judges in the district on how to meet the new requirements for indigent representation. Caleb Bedillion, ProPublica, 19 Oct. 2023 Long before the Birmingham Zoo and the nearby Birmingham Botanical Gardens existed, the property was known as the Red Mountain Cemetery and Southside Cemetery, an indigent burial ground for more than 4,700 people. Joseph D. Bryant | Jbryant@al.com, al, 2 Aug. 2023

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.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French, from Old French, from Latin indigent-, indigens, present participle of indigēre to need, from Old Latin indu + Latin egēre to need; perhaps akin to Old High German echerode poor

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of indigent was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near indigent

Cite this Entry

“Indigent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/indigent. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

indigent

adjective
in·​di·​gent ˈin-di-jənt How to pronounce indigent (audio)

Legal Definition

indigent

adjective
in·​di·​gent ˈin-də-jənt How to pronounce indigent (audio)
: suffering from indigence
the indigent defendant was provided with counsel
indigent noun

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