What does indigence mean?
Indigence means a state of poverty, especially one marked by a lack of food, shelter, money, or other basic necessities. The word has a formal and somewhat literary tone, so it appears more often in historical writing, legal contexts, reports, and formal descriptions of social conditions than in ordinary conversation. In everyday speech, poverty is usually the preferred term, while destitution can convey a particularly severe or hopeless state of want. Indigence can describe the condition of a person or family, as well as the wider poverty experienced by a community or population. Its Latin roots connect it to the idea of need: the word ultimately derives from indigere, meaning “to need” or “to be in want.” Although less frequent than poverty, indigence remains useful because it sounds more precise and dignified, especially when describing sustained deprivation rather than ordinary financial hardship.
nounA state of poverty or lack of the basic means of subsistence.
- A state of poverty or lack of the basic means of subsistence.
"The family lived in indigence after the local factory closed."
"The charity provides emergency assistance to families living in indigence."
"The account gives a vivid description of the indigence endured by rural communities during the famine."
Rare. Indigence is normally used as an uncountable noun.
"The novel traces the family's successive indigences after the war."
Its Latin root means “to need,” making indigence a formal name for being in want.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does indigence come from?
The English word comes from Latin indigentia, a noun meaning poverty or need. This Latin word was formed from indigere, “to need” or “to be in want.” The familiar English relative indigent likewise comes from the same Latin root and describes someone who is poor or lacking necessary resources.
Related word forms
How indigence is actually used
Formal and literary in tone; poverty is more common in everyday usage. Indigence often implies prolonged or severe lack of resources, while destitution generally suggests an even more extreme condition.
Easily confused with indigence
Indigence means poverty or want, whereas indigenous means native to a particular place or community.
Indigence is the noun naming a state of poverty, while indigent is the adjective describing a person or group lacking sufficient resources.