penurious

adjective

pe·​nu·​ri·​ous pə-ˈnu̇r-ē-əs 

-ˈnyu̇r-

1

: marked by or suffering from penury

penurious peasants and fisherfolk

2

: given to or marked by extreme stinting frugality

penuriously adverb

penuriousness noun

Synonyms

• cheap
• chintzy
• close
• closefisted
• mean
• mingy
• miserly
• niggard
• niggardly
• parsimonious
• penny-pinching
• pinching
• pinchpenny
• spare
• sparing
• stingy
• stinting
• tight
• tightfisted
• uncharitable
• ungenerous

Choose the Right Synonym for penurious

stingy, close, niggardly, parsimonious, penurious, miserly mean being unwilling or showing unwillingness to share with others.

stingy implies a marked lack of generosity.

a stingy child, not given to sharing

close suggests keeping a tight grip on one's money and possessions.

folks who are very close when charity calls

niggardly implies giving or spending the very smallest amount possible.

the niggardly amount budgeted for the town library

parsimonious suggests a frugality so extreme as to lead to stinginess.

a parsimonious lifestyle notably lacking in luxuries

penurious implies niggardliness that gives an appearance of actual poverty.

the penurious eccentric bequeathed a fortune

miserly suggests a sordid avariciousness and a morbid pleasure in hoarding.

a miserly couple devoid of social conscience

Examples of penurious in a Sentence

The penurious school system had to lay off several teachers.

the company's penurious management could not be convinced of the need to earmark more money for research and development

Recent Examples on the Web

Even so, the general picture of a mother’s absence and a daughter’s understandable resentment at having had to pick up the maternal slack in penurious conditions comes through loud and clear. —Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2024

Enormous numbers of them have been uprooted from a satisfactory social position by war, revolution and inflation, and thrust out to seek an uncertain and penurious existence. . . . —Foreign Affairs, 18 Dec. 2011

Whatever was going on between the two rich men, the murder investigation presents a profound, perhaps insurmountable challenge to the penurious tropical police force. —Nina Burleigh, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 May 2024

Both album and turntable were all the rage, and the Technics was the first quality direct-drive turntable that a penurious college student could afford. —Robert Ross, Robb Report, 20 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1590, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

penurious

adjective

pe·​nu·​ri·​ous pə-ˈn(y)u̇r-ē-əs 

1

: marked by or suffering from penury

2

: extremely stingy : miserly

penuriously adverb

penuriousness noun