French word

pauvreté

Pronunciation

IPA/povʁəte/

Meaning

  • feminine nounpoverty

Example

La pauvreté touche beaucoup de familles.

Poverty affects many families.

Illustration for pauvreté (poverty)

More examples

Il faut lutter contre la pauvreté.

It is necessary to fight poverty.

Core concept

A household trying to keep daily life standing while essential supports are missing.

Common phrases

  • lutter contre la pauvreté

    fight poverty

  • réduire la pauvreté

    reduce poverty

  • vivre dans la pauvreté

    live in poverty

Similar words

précarité: A condition of unstable work, income, or housing that undermines daily security.
misère: A state of extreme deprivation in which basic daily needs are barely met.

Definition in French

Manque durable des biens et des moyens nécessaires pour vivre correctement, comme la nourriture, le logement ou l'accès aux soins.

Word origin

The noun continues Latin paupertas, from pauper meaning 'poor', through Old French povreté, whose ending developed into modern -té.

Usage tips

  • Pauvreté is feminine, so standard forms include la pauvreté and cette pauvreté.

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word