noun
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extreme poverty
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extreme scarcity
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.
Vocabulary lists containing penury
Night
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Frankenstein
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Romeo and Juliet
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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.
Penury stalked Aseel, who lived with her husband in a makeshift shack on a roof.
From The Guardian • Aug. 1, 2017
Penury has closed down Yellowstone's Conservation Data Center, leaving it unable to track the condition of vegetation and wildlife.
From US News • Aug. 19, 2016
Penury, however, is not a problem for Mr. Wai Lwin, the former defense minister.
From New York Times • Nov. 14, 2015
Penury also looms for people like Yasser, a nutritionist and personal trainer, who has earned little in the past two years.
From Reuters • Apr. 3, 2013
He must be a strong man whom the sudden stare of Penury does not daunt and, in some measure, debase.
From In the Year of Jubilee by Gissing, George
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.
