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penurious

pi-NYOOR-ee-us /pɪˈnjʊəriəs/

adjectiveC2GRESAT

FormalLiterary

Extremely poor; characterized by penury; also, extremely stingy or parsimonious.

Has two distinct meanings: 1) living in extreme poverty (like 'penury'), and 2) being extremely unwilling to spend money, even when one has it. The second meaning often implies a miserly or stingy nature, perhaps born from a fear of penury.

The story behind the word. 'Penurious' comes from the Latin 'paenuria,' meaning 'want' or 'need,' just like 'penury.' It entered English in the late 16th century. Its dual meaning, referring both to extreme poverty and extreme stinginess, likely developed because those who experience or fear penury often become very reluctant to spend money.

Word relationships

impecunious: Having little or no money; habitually broke.
destitute: Utterly lacking necessities (describes the state of poverty).
miserly: Of a person, characterized by or indicative of a lack of generosity, especially with money (describes the stingy aspect).

generous: Showing a readiness to give more of something, especially money, than is strictly necessary or expected.
affluent: Having a great deal of money; wealthy.

Commonly confused with

frugal: 'Frugal' means economical and careful with money; 'penurious' (in its stingy sense) implies an extreme, often unpleasant, unwillingness to spend.

Word family

penury (noun): The state of being very poor; extreme poverty.

Collocations

penurious conditions
penurious existence
penurious old man

Example sentences

"Despite his inherited wealth, he lived a penurious existence, refusing to spend a single penny more than necessary." Describing a person's financial state.
"The novel vividly portrays the penurious conditions of the working class during the industrial revolution." From a literary critique.

Memory hook

Think of 'PEN-URIOUS' as 'PENNY-furious' – either furious because you have no pennies, or furious about spending any pennies. Penny-furious

When not to use

For simply being 'poor,' use 'poor' or 'impoverished.' For being 'stingy,' 'frugal' or 'miserly' might be more common. 'Penurious' is a strong, formal word.

Fun facts

This word is a great example of how a word's meaning can split or expand over time, often reflecting human psychology (e.g., the link between poverty and stinginess).

Related words

penury, impecunious, destitute

Explore more words

parsimonious, scrimp, scrupulous, frugal, austerity, begrudging