indigent
adjective
in·di·gent
ˈin-di-jənt 
1
: suffering from extreme poverty : impoverished
2
a
archaic
: deficient
b
archaic
: totally lacking in something specified
indigent
noun
Examples of indigent in a Sentence
… every day, I fled the house and drove aimlessly over mountain roads that passed by indigent farms and strange, unpainted churches.
—
Mark Singer, New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2000 & 1 Jan. 2001
A land post was offered him in November, 1765, as Governor of Greenwich Hospital, a shelter for disabled and indigent seamen and a place affording many openings for jobbery (the contemporary term for bureaucratic graft).
—Barbara W. Tuchman, The First Salute, 1988
He went around climbing dark stairs and knocking on doors and taking flash photos of indigent families in their dwellings.
—E. L. Doctorow, Ragtime, (1974) 1975
Because he was indigent, the court appointed a lawyer to defend him.
The clinic provides free care for indigent patients.
Mark Singer, New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2000 & 1 Jan. 2001
A land post was offered him in November, 1765, as Governor of Greenwich Hospital, a shelter for disabled and indigent seamen and a place affording many openings for jobbery (the contemporary term for bureaucratic graft).
—Barbara W. Tuchman, The First Salute, 1988
He went around climbing dark stairs and knocking on doors and taking flash photos of indigent families in their dwellings.
—E. L. Doctorow, Ragtime, (1974) 1975
Because he was indigent, the court appointed a lawyer to defend him.
The clinic provides free care for indigent patients.
Recent Examples on the Web
Private defense attorneys who represent indigent clients in federal court are not getting paid for nearly three months — until Oct. 1.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 24 July 2025
Throughout this month, indigent defendants — or those unable to afford their own attorneys — without representation have been released from jail if they had been detained for more than a week without representation, based on another prong of the protocol.
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 22 July 2025
That’s because on July 3, congressional funding ran out for the federal program that pays private attorneys to represent indigent defendants who, for various reasons, can’t be represented by federal public defender organizations such as Federal Defenders of San Diego.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 July 2025
Hearings began in Boston Municipal Court on Monday and continued on Tuesday, with at least four unrepresented indigent defendants, or those who cannot afford a private attorney, being released.
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for indigent
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Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 24 July 2025
Throughout this month, indigent defendants — or those unable to afford their own attorneys — without representation have been released from jail if they had been detained for more than a week without representation, based on another prong of the protocol.
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 22 July 2025
That’s because on July 3, congressional funding ran out for the federal program that pays private attorneys to represent indigent defendants who, for various reasons, can’t be represented by federal public defender organizations such as Federal Defenders of San Diego.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 July 2025
Hearings began in Boston Municipal Court on Monday and continued on Tuesday, with at least four unrepresented indigent defendants, or those who cannot afford a private attorney, being released.
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for indigent
Cite this Entry
“Indigent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/indigent. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
indigent
adjective
in·di·gent
ˈin-di-jənt
Legal Definition
indigent
adjective
in·di·gent
ˈin-də-jənt
: suffering from indigence
the indigent defendant was provided with counsel
indigent
noun
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