English · Idiom Attested

poor as Job

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Extremely poor, destitute.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

quả thật nghèo khó

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Where it’s used: Used American English

Examples

Sir Plantagenet's son is as poor as Job; so she must have recourse to Marvel; and, if she gives him proper encouragement, he'll pay the money in a trice.

Quoted attestation: 1804, Maria Edgeworth, "The Will", Popular Tales, 1813, Paraclete Potter, page 101.

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “poor as Job” mean?

Extremely poor, destitute.

Is “poor as Job” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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