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penury Definition

penu·ry (pen′yo̵̅o̅ rē, -yə-)

noun

lack of money, property, or necessities; extreme poverty; destitution

Etymology: ME pennury < L penuria, want, scarcity < paene, scarcely: see passion

penury Synonyms

penury

n.

need, bankruptcy, destitution; see poverty 1. See syn. study at poverty.

penury Usage Examples

Converse of object

face: It's these people who are likely to face penury in old age.

Adjective modifier

near: Catherine was forced to live in near penury with a frugal allowance from her father-in-law.

Browse dictionary entries near penury

  1. ‹ penurious
  2. ‹ penumbra
  3. ‹ penultimate
  4. ‹ penult
  5. ‹ penuchle
  6. ‹ penuche
  7. ‹ pentylenetetrazol
  8. ‹ pentyl
  9. ‹ pentstemon
  10. ‹ pentoxide
  1. Penutian ›
  2. Penza ›
  3. Penzance ›
  4. Penzias ›
  5. peon ›
  6. peonage ›
  7. peony ›
  8. people ›
  9. people mover ›
  10. People's party ›