different between penury vs penurious

English

Etymology

From Latin p?n?ria (“want”), related to paene (“scarcely”, adverb), c. 1400. Compare French pénurie.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?p?nj??i/, /?p?nj??i/

Noun

penury (usually uncountable, plural penuries)

1. Extreme want; poverty; destitution.
2. A lack of something; a dearth.

   Synonyms: barrenness, insufficiency

   • 1855, Robert Browning, “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came”, XI:

     No! penury, inertness and grimace, / In some strange sort, were the land's portion. […]

Derived terms

• penurious

Translations

Further reading

• “penury”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “penury”, in Online Etymology Dictionary

Anagrams

• pruney

English

Etymology

From Medieval Latin p?n?ri?sus. See penury from Latin penuria (“want”), related to paene (“scarcely”), c. 1400. Compare French pénurie.

Adjective

penurious (comparative more penurious, superlative most penurious)

1. Miserly; excessively cheap.

   The old man died a penurious wretch; eighty-thousand dollars in the mattress and as many holes in the roof.

2. Not bountiful; thin; scant.

   The penurious stew would have been more accurately labelled broth.

3. Impoverished; wanting for money.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:stingy
• See also Thesaurus:impoverished
• See also Thesaurus:pauper

Antonyms

• See also Thesaurus:spendthrift

Related terms

• penury

Translations