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   penurious

   /pɪˈnjʊərɪəs/

   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: "penurious years"
   • 2. unwilling to spend money; mean: "a tight-fisted, penurious boss whose wage scale is well below other bandleaders" Similar miserlyniggardlyparsimoniouspenny-pinchingclose-fistedcheese-paringscrimpinggraspinggreedyavariciousScrooge-likeungenerousilliberalclosemeaninformal:stingymingytighttight-fistedmoney-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

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