To make someone or something very poor, or to make something weaker or worse in quality.
From Old French 'empoverir', based on 'povre' (poor), from Latin 'pauper'. The prefix 'em-/im-' here means 'to make', so the word literally means 'to make poor'.
Impoverish can describe both money and richness of experience. Cutting arts programs, for example, can impoverish a culture even if people’s bank accounts stay the same.
Discussions of impoverishment have often ignored the gendered dimensions of poverty, such as the feminization of poverty and unpaid care work. Language around poverty historically centered male breadwinners, underrepresenting women’s economic vulnerability.
When using "impoverish," acknowledge structural factors and, where relevant, gendered impacts rather than implying individual moral failure.
["push into poverty","deprive economically","reduce to poverty"]
Highlight women’s economic organizing, mutual aid, and leadership in anti-poverty movements, which are frequently underreported.
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