adjective
-
niggardly with money
-
lacking money or means
-
yielding little; scanty
Other Word Forms
- penuriously adverb
- penuriousness noun
- unpenurious adjective
- unpenuriously adverb
- unpenuriousness noun
Etymology
Origin of penurious
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Medieval Latin pēnūriōsus, from Latin paenūria, pēnūria penury + -ous ( def. )
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.
Even so, the general picture of a mother’s absence and a daughter’s understandable resentment at having had to pick up the maternal slack in penurious conditions comes through loud and clear.
From Los Angeles Times
She wants to believe in his goodness, but the real issue is that she just can’t imagine her sad, penurious life without him.
From Los Angeles Times
In a ruling July 28, McMahon called them “hapless, easily manipulated and penurious petty criminals” who had no connection to any terrorist group and had “never remotely contemplated” violent extremism before they met Hussain.
From Seattle Times
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
There his followers learn about his penurious childhood and his own children's lives.
From BBC
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.
