1. 贫穷；贫困
Poverty is the state of being extremely poor.
e.g. According to World Bank figures, 41 per cent of Brazilians live in absolute poverty...
根据世界银行的统计数字，41%的巴西人生活在赤贫中。
e.g. Garvey died in loneliness and poverty.
加维在孤独和穷困中死去。
2. 贫乏；短缺；低劣
You can use poverty to refer to any situation in which there is not enough of something or its quality is poor.
poverty
e.g. Britain has suffered from a poverty of ambition.
英国一直缺乏远大理想。
e.g. ...a poverty of ideas.
思想贫乏