V2 Vocabulary Building Dictionary
penury
noun
Definition: state of extreme poverty
Synonyms: poverty, misery, need, destitution, misfortune, affliction, indigence
Antonyms: wealth, abundance, affluence
Tips: Penury is derived from the Latin penuria, which means "want, need." Penury is a state of poverty characterized by wants and needs. To remember the word, think of the word penny. Someone in penury doesn't even have a penny. Someone who is characterized as penurious either doesn't have enough money for necessities or is simply unwilling to spend it. (See also: parsimonious) Penury is a more sophisticated way of saying "poverty."
Usage Examples:
The man spent his entire fortune and died in penury. (poverty)
She may have had a penurious childhood, but she sure has a lot of money now. (impoverished, indigent) adjective
The lottery winner went from penury to wealth overnight. (destitution, poverty)
He was so penurious that even though he was a millionaire, he refused to pay for his children's college educations. (miserly, stingy) adjective
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