Yahoo Web Search

Search results

1. Dictionary

   pe·nu·ri·ous

   /pəˈno͝orēəs/

   adjective

   • 1. extremely poor; poverty-stricken: "a penurious old tramp" Similar pooras poor as a church mousepoverty-strickendestitutenecessitousin penuryimpecuniousimpoverishedindigentneedyin need/wantbadly offin reduced circumstancesin straitened circumstanceshard upon one's beam-endsunable to make ends meetunderprivilegedpennilesswithout a soumoneylessbankruptbustinsolventon the breadlinewithout a penny (to one's name)informal:brokeflat brokecleaned outstrapped for cashstrappedon one's uppersstony brokeskintwithout two pennies to rub togetherwithout two (brass) farthings to rub togetherin Queer Streetstone brokerare:pauperizedbeggaredOpposite wealthy
   • ▪ characterized by poverty or need: "penurious years"
   • 2. parsimonious; mean: "a tight-fisted, penurious boss whose wage scale is well below other bandleaders" Similar miserlyniggardlyparsimoniouspenny-pinchingclose-fistedcheeseparingscrimpinggraspinggreedyavariciousScroogelikeungenerousilliberalclosemeaninformal:stingymingytighttightfistedmoney-grubbingmoney-grabbingvulgar slang:tight-arsedtight-assedarchaic:nearOpposite generous

   Word Origin late 16th century: from medieval Latin penuriosus, from Latin penuria ‘need, scarcity’ (see penury).

   Derivatives

   • 1. penuriously adverb
   • 2. penuriousness noun

   Scrabble Points: 11

   • P

     3

   • E

     1

   • N

     1

   • U

     1

   • R

     1

   • I

     1

   • O

     1

   • U

     1

   • S

     1

   Powered by Oxford Dictionaries

   More definitions, origin and scrabble points