penury

American  

[pen-yuh-ree] / ˈpɛn yə ri /

noun

1. extreme poverty; destitution.

   Synonyms:

   want, need, indigence

   Antonyms:

   wealth

2. scarcity; dearth; inadequacy; insufficiency.

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penury British  

/ ˈpɛnjʊrɪ /

noun

1. extreme poverty

2. extreme scarcity

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Etymology

Origin of penury

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

Explanation

Penury means extreme poverty to the point of homelessness and begging in the streets. Economic downturns, job loss, shopping sprees, and weekends at the high rollers' table in Vegas can lead to penury. Penury comes from the Latin word penuria, which, though it sounds like something contagious, actually means scarcity. It's not a word that turns up often in casual conversation or even on nightly newscasts. You're more apt to spot it in a college textbook or maybe an editorial in The New York Times.

Example Sentences

In California, 5.5 million residents, including 2 million children, will be forced deeper into penury.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 29, 2025

The AAU’s dictatorial control forced athletes into penury and enriched its leaders.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2025

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?

From Washington Times • Nov. 5, 2023

Raye has been an outspoken critic of the industry after spending nearly a decade in record label penury, unable to release an album without their say-so.

From BBC • May 18, 2023

With the closure of the port, most of the College’s income was stopped up and its investments nullified; and so to anxiety was added penury.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson