penury

[ pen-yuh-ree ]

noun

1. extreme poverty; destitution.

   Synonyms: want, need, indigence

   Antonyms: wealth

2. scarcity; dearth; inadequacy; insufficiency.

penury

/ ˈpɛnjʊrɪ /

noun

1. extreme poverty
2. extreme scarcity

Word History and Origins

Origin of penury¹

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin pēnūria; akin to Greek peîna hunger, penía poverty

Word History and Origins

Origin of penury¹

C15: from Latin pēnūria dearth, of obscure origin

Example Sentences

“Let's tell ourselves the truth. Tinubu's new Airbus presidential aircraft purchase for N150 billion at a time of penury, hunger, and want shows how wicked, selfish, self-indulgent, and insensitive to the plight of the average Nigerian he really is.”

From BBC

As Bronner writes in Bloomberg, Israel’s “growing number of technocrats, business leaders, and academics”—who have transformed the country into one of the most prosperous and technically advanced in the world—see the war in Gaza “as the opportunity to confront the risk of Haredim pulling the country toward theocratic penury.”

From Slate

He faced agony abroad, then penury in his adopted home.

From Seattle Times

"Independence, I think, means penury for Wales, not success."

From BBC

If you're willing to force poor elderly people into even worse penury than they already are, you are their kind of gal.

From Salon