poor
gb/pˈʊɹ/ us/pˈʊɹ/
A2
English
~ 700
szegény, gyenge, rossz
A2
1
szegény
A2
Usage pattern:
[someone] is poor
She grew up in a poor neighborhood on the edge of the city.
A város szélén, egy szegény környéken nőtt fel.
Many poor families struggle to pay for basic necessities.
Sok szegény családnak még a legalapvetőbb dolgok kifizetése is gondot okoz.
The charity aims to help poor children get an education.
Learner examples
He is poor and needs help.
Szegény, és segítségre van szüksége.
Many poor people live in this area.
Sok szegény ember él ezen a környéken.
She comes from a poor family.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'poor' meaning 'having little money' with 'poor' meaning 'bad quality'. Context is important.
Meaning
Having little or no money
Collocations
poor family
|poor people
|poor country
|poor community
Synonyms
impoverished (More formal and often used in reports or academic contexts.)
Antonyms
wealthy (Describes someone who has a large amount of money or valuable possessions.)
Themes
economy
|daily life
|finance
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Definition
Having little or no money to buy the things you need.
Lacking sufficient money to live at a standard considered comfortable or normal in society.
A2
2
Usage pattern:
poor [quality/performance/service/etc.]
The team's poor performance cost them the game.
A csapat a gyenge teljesítménye miatt elveszítette a meccset.
We received poor service at the restaurant.
Rossz kiszolgálást kaptunk az étteremben.
Poor lighting made it hard to read.
Learner examples
The hotel has poor service.
A szállodában rossz a kiszolgálás.
He gave a poor answer to the question.
Gyenge választ adott a kérdésre.
The photo is of poor quality.
Common mistake:
Learners may incorrectly use 'bad' instead of 'poor' in formal writing where 'poor' is more appropriate.
Meaning
Of low quality or standard
Collocations
poor performance
|poor service
|poor quality
|poor results
Synonyms
substandard (Formal; emphasizes not meeting required standards.)
Antonyms
excellent (Indicates a very high quality or standard.)
Themes
evaluation
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Definition
Not good in quality, skill, or standard.
Of a low standard, quality, or condition; not good.
A2
3
szegény
A2
Usage pattern:
poor [someone]
Poor John, he’s been sick all week.
Szegény John, egész héten beteg volt.
You poor thing! That must have been awful.
Te szegény! Ez borzasztó lehetett.
Poor kids had to walk home in the rain.
Learner examples
Poor Anna is very tired.
Szegény Anna nagyon fáradt.
You poor boy, you look cold.
Te szegény fiú, látszik, hogy fázol.
Poor dog, it is very hungry.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse this with the financial meaning of 'poor'. It is emotional, not economic.
Meaning
Deserving sympathy or pity
Collocations
poor guy
|poor thing
|poor child
Synonyms
unfortunate (More formal; focuses on bad luck rather than sympathy.)
Antonyms
fortunate (Indicates someone who has good luck or favorable circumstances.)
Themes
emotions
|daily life
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Definition
Used to show you feel sorry for someone because something bad happened to them.
Used to express sympathy for someone in an unfortunate situation.
B1
4
Usage pattern:
poor in [something]
This soil is poor in nutrients.
Ez a talaj tápanyagban szegény.
She has a poor memory for names.
Gyenge a névmemóriája.
The diet was poor in protein.
Learner examples
The land is poor in water.
A föld vízben szegény.
My memory is poor for faces.
Gyenge az arcmemóriám.
This food is poor in sugar.
Meaning
Lacking a desired quality or amount
Collocations
poor in vitamins
|poor soil
|poor memory
Synonyms
deficient (More formal and technical; often used in scientific contexts.)
Antonyms
rich (In this context, means containing a lot of a substance or quality.)
Themes
science
|health
|core_vocabulary
Definition
Having too little of something important.
Not having enough of a particular quality, substance, or nutrient.
Grammar
Dictionary form
poor
IPA
GB/pˈʊɹ/
US/pˈʊɹ/
Syllables & stress
poor (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (poor)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: poor
- Comparative: poorer
- Superlative: poorest
Word family
Forms
poorer
adjective
poorest
adjective
Advanced or less common
Expressions
down-and-out
1/dˈaʊn ˈænd ˈaʊt/
idiom
informal
Person with no money, job, or home
Someone who has no money and no place to live.
Examples
- He ended up down-and-out after losing his job.
- The shelter helps down-and-out individuals get back on their feet.
in poor taste
1/ˈɪn pˈʊɹ tˈeɪst/
fixed phrase
Socially inappropriate or offensive
Not polite or acceptable; likely to offend people.
Examples
- His joke about the accident was in poor taste.
- Wearing that outfit to a funeral would be in poor taste.
poor excuse for [something]
1/pˈʊɹ ɪkskjˈus fɚ sˈʌmθɪŋ/
fixed phrase
Inadequate example of something claimed to be
Something that is not good enough to be what it is supposed to be.
Examples
- That was a poor excuse for an apology.
- This is a poor excuse for a meal.
poor thing
1/pˈʊɹ θˈɪŋ/
fixed phrase
Expression of sympathy or pity
A way to say you feel sorry for someone or something.
Examples
- Poor thing, you must be exhausted.
- That poor thing has been out in the rain all day.