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pauperism

pauperism

1 9.9
A state of being very poor with almost nothing
  • noun
  • /ˈpɔːpərɪzəm/
  • Formal
translation icon : paupérisme
  • Many families fell into pauperism during the economic downturn, struggling to afford basic necessities.

Examples

  • Riis's views of pauperism actually derived more from psychological insights than from any narrow moralism.

    Academic text (1991)
  • Additionally, the enumerators collected "social statistics" about taxes, crimes, schools, churches, wages, pauperism, mortality, and estate values.

    Academic text (1993)
  • This relationship between the poor person and the world of labor, between pauperism and lack of work, came to light frequently in the 17th century.

    Blog text (3)
  • A second object of Riis's moral indignation was pauperism.

    Academic text (1991)
  • Riis's critique of pauperism, then, was based on a belief in the importance of the assertiveness of the poor.

    Academic text (1991)
  • The Poor Law Commissioners' Report of 1834, summarizing the failed program, called Speenhamland a "universal system of pauperism."

    Blog text (11)
  • The new boards were expected to remove the stigma of pauperism and take the payment of funds outside the hands of politically appointed, hence suspect, poor relief officers.

    Academic text (1992)
  • The tenement environment did not, however, excuse pauperism; Riis argued instead that the prevalence of pauperism within the tenements demonstrated the need to eradicate them.

    Academic text (1991)
  • He saw pauperism as a "moral distemper" because he believed that the self-respect of able-bodied men is incompatible with their accepting alms.

    Academic text (1991)
  • Because Riis was so unsympathetic to the plight of paupers, his condemnation of pauperism can seem excessively moralistic.

    Academic text (1991)

Synonyms

need
vspauperism
564 2.1

A situation when people lack basic things such as food or shelter

is the broad state of extreme lack rather than only material lack
poverty
vspauperism
550 2.0

A situation of having very little money and few things

is the same broad condition described in a single phrase
destitution
vspauperism
7 7.9

A situation when someone has no money, home, or way to live

is the same total lack of resources phrased differently
privation
vspauperism
5 9.3

A lack of basic things needed to live, like food or shelter

focuses on total destitution rather than just lacking basics
penury
vspauperism
2 9.7

A situation with almost no money and few basic things needed to live

is the same extreme condition expressed with another term
poorness
vspauperism
1 2.5

A situation when someone has little money and few belongings

is the stronger idea of total destitution rather than general lack
indigence
vspauperism
1 9.9

A very poor state where someone has almost no money, food, or shelter

is the general state of extreme want expressed in another word
pennilessness
vspauperism
1 6.8

A situation when someone has no money

is the same state but named in a different form
neediness
vspauperism
1 4.6

Being very poor and not having basic things like food and shelter

is the same extreme lack but used as a noun for the condition
indigency
vspauperism
  • Formal
9.0

A lack of money for basic needs like food and shelter

is the same extreme lack but not confined to legal contexts
impecuniousness
vspauperism
9.9

A state of having little or no money

is the same condition but worded in a more technical form
penuriousness
vspauperism
9.9

A situation in which someone has very little money

stresses extreme lack itself rather than frugal behaviour
beggary
vspauperism
8.2

The state of being very poor and having to beg for money or food

is the general state of extreme lack rather than the act of begging
mendicity
vspauperism
  • Formal
9.9

A situation where people ask strangers for money because they have none

focuses on the extreme lack itself rather than the practice of seeking help
mendicancy
vspauperism
  • Formal
9.9

To ask people for money or food in public because you have none

is about the severe state of lack rather than public begging

Antonyms

507 1.3

A large amount of money and valuable things that a person or country owns

195 3.7

A time when people or a country have money and success

14 6.3

A lot of money and valuable things that a person or place has

How Poor

penury
2 9.7
pauperism
  • Formal
1 9.9
poverty
550 2.0

Surface Forms

pauperism singular
pauperisms plural

Morphology

pauperism = pauper (transparent) = pauper + ism

The noun denotes the state or condition associated with a 'pauper' and follows the regular '-ism' noun formation for states.

Etymology

Pauperism comes from the old word pauper meaning 'poor' and the ending -ism meaning 'a state or condition'. So, pauperism names the state of being very poor.