noun
penury
PEN-yuh-ree/ˈpenjəri/
Severe lack of money or basic necessities.
The woman’s empty purse and two small coins reveal her penury.
Etymology
Latin penuria meant want, need, or scarcity. The English sense focuses that broad idea of shortage on a person's financial condition: extreme poverty.
In context
the disabling poverty you know the kind of penury which makes life almost a curse is removed
More examples
- Medical bills pushed the family into penury.
- Despite her fame, the artist spent her final years in penury.
- A steady income offers him an escape from penury.
Forms
penury
penurious adjective — Having very little money or resources.
Similar words
- poverty
- A broader term that does not always imply extreme deprivation.
- destitution
- Emphasizes lacking essentials such as food, clothing, and shelter.
- indigence
- Similarly formal, often emphasizing need for financial assistance.