destitute
des·ti·tute/ˈdɛstɪtuːt/adjective, verb
destitute is spelled D-E-S-T-I-T-U-T-E: 9 letters and 3 syllables (des·ti·tute). It appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 26,420th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, destitute means “Lacking something; devoid” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in destitute?
| Letters | 9: D-E-S-T-I-T-U-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: des·ti·tute |
| In writing | 1.2 times per million words; the 26,420th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is destitute?
Destitute appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 26,420th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce destitute?
- /ˈdɛstɪtʃuːt/
- /ˈdɛstɪtjuːt/
- US /ˈdɛstɪtuːt/
Destitute has 3 syllables, split des·ti·tute in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-destitute.ogg, En-us-destitute.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of destitute
- more destitute comparative
- most destitute superlative
- destitutes present, singular, he/she/it
- destituting participle, present
- destituted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does destitute mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Lacking something; devoid.
- 2
Lacking money, poor, impoverished; especially, extremely so.
Near-synonym: penniless
verb
- 1
To impoverish; to strip of wealth, resources, etc.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Destitute in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Spanish | indigente, destituido, desprovisto , no tener donde caerse muerto, muerto de hambre , destituir |
| French | démuni, indigent |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does destitute come from?
From Middle English destitute, destitut, from Latin dēstitūtus.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).