adjective
-
niggardly with money
-
lacking money or means
-
yielding little; scanty
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of penurious
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Medieval Latin pēnūriōsus, from Latin paenūria, pēnūria penury + -ous ( def. )
Explanation
Don't have two nickels to rub together? You're penurious — a lovely long way of saying you're flat broke. Penurious also means a general dislike of spending money. If someone accuses you of being cheap, tell them you prefer to be thought of as penurious. It sounds so much classier. It's related to a similar word, penury, which means "a state of extreme poverty."
Vocabulary lists containing penurious
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
100 SAT words Beginning with "P"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Never Enough: Synonyms for "Greedy"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In almost every case, at least one man, woman or child looks out from the penurious scene and stares squarely at the viewer, imploringly.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2023
There his followers learn about his penurious childhood and his own children's lives.
From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2023
China is increasingly likely to grow old before it gets rich, consigning hundreds of millions of Chinese to a penurious and often lonely old age.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 18, 2023
At The Fort Worth Press, a penurious operation, he quickly rose to sports editor and held his young reporters to strict standards, castigating them regularly for tardiness, flowery writing, overseriousness and factual mistakes.
From New York Times ● Apr. 30, 2016
Her uncle’s harshness and penurious ways mortified the girl, and troubled her greatly as time went on.
From Ruth Fielding Down in Dixie Great Times in the Land of Cotton by Alice B. Emerson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
