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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Impoverish: Definition, Usage & Common Mistakes (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：make poor (impoverish)

impoverish 🔊

/ɪmˈpɒvərɪʃ/

vt.

To make someone or something very poor, taking away their money and resources.

Impoverish meaning illustrated: A family's descent from a comfortable home to a poor one.

make poor 🔊

➕

/meɪk pʊr/

vt.

To cause someone or something to become poor by removing financial resources or wealth.

📁 Category：Social Economy 🔖 Level：中级

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'in-' (into) + 'pauper' (poor), meaning to make poor.

💡 Mnemonic

Think of 'I'm poor' in 'impoverish' to remember it means to make poor.

📖 Example

The long and costly war served only to impoverish the nation, leaving many families struggling to afford food. 🔊 The lengthy and expensive war only made the nation poor, causing families to have difficulty buying food.

🔗 Collocations

impoverish a nation – to make a country poor

impoverish the population – to cause the people to become impoverished

impoverish resources – to deplete available resources

🔄 Synonyms

pauperize (vt.) – to reduce to pauperism; make very poor

bankrupt (vt.) – to make insolvent or financially ruined

beggar (vt.) – to reduce to beggary; make very poor

🚫 Antonyms

enrich (vt.) – to make rich or increase the wealth of

prosper (vt.) – to make successful or flourishing

🌱 Derivatives

impoverishment (n.) – the state of being impoverished

impoverished (adj.) – made poor or depleted

📖 Cultural Story

Derived from Latin 'in pauperare', meaning to make poor. It entered English in the 15th century and is often used in economic reports to describe nations or communities losing wealth.

Meaning 2：deplete (impoverish)

impoverish 🔊

/ɪmˈpɒvərɪʃ/

vt.

To use up all the strength, goodness, or energy of something, making it weak or of poor quality.

Impoverish definition: Depleting fertile farmland into dry, cracked soil.

deplete 🔊

➕

/dɪˈpliːt/

vt.

To exhaust the nutrients or quality of something, rendering it less productive or vital.

📁 Category：Natural Geography 🔖 Level：中级

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

Years of using chemical fertilizers without crop rotation have begun to impoverish the soil in the valley. 🔊 Years of chemical fertilizer use without rotating crops have started to deplete the soil's quality in the valley.

🔗 Collocations

impoverish the soil – to reduce the fertility of the soil

impoverish nutrients – to exhaust essential nutrients

impoverish energy – to drain energy or vitality

🔄 Synonyms

deplete (vt.) – to use up the supply or resources of

exhaust (vt.) – to drain of strength or resources

drain (vt.) – to cause to lose energy or resources gradually

🚫 Antonyms

enrich (vt.) – to improve the quality or fertility of

replenish (vt.) – to fill or make complete again; restore

🌱 Derivatives

impoverishment (n.) – the state of being impoverished

impoverished (adj.) – made poor or depleted