Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for penury

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
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of penury1

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of penury1

C15: from Latin pēnūria dearth, of obscure origin
Discover More

Example Sentences

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

"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

If that’s true, what conceivable difference could it make whether a few of the dinosaur oil and gas companies want to merge and go into the abyss of bankruptcy and penury holding hands?

I first visited Moscow four decades ago, when it was a city devoid of primary colors eking out existence in the penury of Communism.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


penuriousPenutian