困窮|こんきゅうkonkyuu[0]heiban (flat)

1. noun, suru verb, intransitive verbpoverty; need; destitution
   その家族かぞくはきわめて困窮こんきゅうしていた。↗

   The family lived in the depths of misery.

   彼かれは仕事しごとをくびになってから困窮こんきゅうしている。↗

   He has been in deep water since he got fired from his job.
2. noun, suru verb, intransitive verbhaving great difficulty with; struggling greatly with; being in distress

• Synonym貧困ひんこんNeutralNeutral word for poverty, also figurative for thin content as in 「発想の貧困」; sees poverty as a social issue, while 「困窮」 stresses hardship in life and having no way out.
• Synonym窮乏きゅうぼうWrittenWritten word for extreme lack of funds, supplies, etc., leaving life straitened; 「困窮」 also suggests being at a dead end, utterly destitute.
• Synonym貧乏びんぼうCasualColloquial word for being poor; the most common choice in everyday speech, but without 「困窮」's sense of being driven to desperation.
• Synonym窮状きゅうじょうNeutralRefers to a state of destitution, as in 「窮状を訴える」; centers on describing the plight itself.
• Synonym貧窮ひんきゅうWrittenWritten and rarely used; means poverty and the suffering it brings, close in sense to 「困窮」.
• Related極貧ごくひんWrittenWritten word for extreme poverty, close to 「赤貧」; says only that the poverty is utter, without 「困窮」's nuance of having no way out.
• Related困難こんなんNeutralNeutral word for difficulty, things being hard to do or solve; focuses on the task, not specifically on poverty.
• Related苦境くきょうNeutralNeutral word for a difficult situation or predicament, as in 「苦境に立つ」; stresses the position one is in.
• Related苦難くなんNeutralNeutral word for suffering and hardship endured; stresses the suffering itself and is not specific to poverty.
• Related逆境ぎゃっきょうNeutralNeutral word for adverse circumstances; concerns one's overall situation in life, not money in particular.
• Related辛苦しんくWrittenWritten word for toil and hardship; stresses the strenuous effort and is not specifically about lacking money.
• Related赤貧せきひんWrittenWritten word for utter destitution, as in 「赤貧洗うが如し」; stresses how complete the poverty is.
• Related貧苦ひんくWrittenWritten and uncommon; refers to suffering caused by poverty, with the emphasis on the economic hardship itself.
• Related金欠きんけつCasualColloquial slang for being short of money, as in 「今月は金欠だ」; much milder than 「困窮」, which means severe hardship with no way out.
• Related困苦こんくWrittenWritten word for hardship; stresses a hard life and is close in sense to 「困窮」.
• Related塗炭とたんWrittenWritten word for extreme misery, as in 「塗炭の苦しみ」; very heavy in degree.
• Related難儀なんぎNeutralRefers to trouble and suffering; stresses that something takes effort or is a bother. Colloquial, and not specific to poverty.
• Related悲境ひきょうWrittenWritten and rarely used; means a sad, wretched plight, stressing misery rather than lack of money.
• Antonym富裕ふゆうNeutralAntonym: wealthy, affluent; the opposite of 「困窮」 as a word for poverty.
• Antonym豊かゆたかNeutralAntonym: rich, abundant, well-off; the opposite of living in hardship.

Use 「困窮」 for living in poverty with no way out; somewhat written in tone, as in 「生活に困窮する」 or 「困窮世帯」. For poverty as a social issue say 「貧困」, in everyday speech 「貧乏」, and for being short of cash 「金欠」. The antonyms are 「富裕」 and 「豊か」.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 貧乏びんぼうで生活せいかつに苦くるしむこと。
2. 解決策かいけつさくが見出みいだせず困こまり果はてること。