impoverish
3 synonyms and 1 antonym for impoverish, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Verb — To make someone poor.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
2. verb
To make something weaker or less rich in quality.
“That exuberant crop quickly impoverishes any fertile soil.”
Etymology
Came from Middle English empoverishen, impoverishen, empoverischen and enpoverisshen, and from Anglo-Norman empoveriss-, developed from Old French empoverir, formed from em- + povre, from Latin pauper ("poor") (compare English poor).
Full origin of impoverish →