deserving poor
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English[edit]
Noun[edit]
deserving poor pl (plural only)
- (dated) Poor people who are incapable of providing for themselves and thus seen as legitimate recipients of charity.
- Antonym: undeserving poor
Usage notes[edit]
Used with the definite article the.
References[edit]
- “deserving poor”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.