Meanings
- not comparablesimileExtremely poor, destitute.
1804, Maria Edgeworth, "The Will", Popular Tales, 1813, Paraclete Potter, page 101. 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.
Synonyms: poor as a church mouse, poor as Job's turkey
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveExtremely poor, destitute.
Origin
The Book of Job depicts the eponymous wealthy and pious landowner as losing all his possessions and becoming afflicted with various ailments and misfortunes, as a test of his faith by God.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Dutch arm als Job
- arm als JobTranslations
Finnish köyhä kuin kirkonrotta
- köyhä kuin kirkonrottaTranslations
French pauvre comme Job
- pauvre comme JobTranslations
Polish biedny jak Hiob
- biedny jak HiobTranslations
Portuguese pobre como Jó
- pobre como JóTranslations
Cite this entry
poor as Job. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/poor%20as%20Job
“poor as Job.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/poor%20as%20Job. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “poor as Job,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/poor%20as%20Job.
Source: poor as Job on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.