1. plural of pauperdom; the state, condition, or domain of being poor or a pauper
Usage: formal or literary; often used to refer to regions or communities characterized by poverty

Examples

• The industrial revolution created vast pauperdoms in urban centers.
• Nineteenth-century reformers sought to address the growing pauperdoms of industrial cities.
• Social programs aimed to lift entire pauperdoms out of extreme poverty.
• The novel depicted the harsh realities of pauperdoms in Victorian England.