impecunious

adjective

im·​pe·​cu·​nious ˌim-pi-ˈkyü-nyəs 

-nē-əs

formal : having very little or no money usually habitually : penniless

impecunious college students

impecuniosity

ˌim-pi-ˌkyü-nē-ˈä-sə-tē 

noun

impecuniously adverb

impecuniousness noun

Did you know?

If impecunious means "penniless," then it stands to reason that "pecunious" can describe someone who has a lot of money. That is true, but "pecunious" is used with far less frequency in English than its opposite and is not found in many dictionaries. What's more, on the rare occasion when "pecunious" is put to use in English, it often means not "wealthy" but "miserly or ungenerous," as in "a pecunious attitude toward the less fortunate." "Impecunious" describes somebody who lacks the money to buy necessities, but it does not carry the connotation of desperation found in such words as "indigent" or "destitute." Both "pecunious" and "impecunious" derive via Middle English from the Latin pecunia, meaning "money."

Synonyms of impecunious

• impoverished
• poor

Examples of impecunious in a Sentence

they were so impecunious that they couldn't afford to give one another even token Christmas gifts

Recent Examples on the Web

Lillian Feldman was born to impecunious Jewish emigres in Cincinnati on July 13, 1927, the twelfth of thirteen children who were encouraged by their mother to draw on the walls. —News Desk, Artforum, 17 Oct. 2024

Among them is the sardonic confidant, St. Quentin; the down-at-the-heels military man, Major Brutt; and the impecunious, high-living chancer, Eddie. —Washington Post, 18 Nov. 2021

Word History

Etymology

in- entry 1 + obsolete English pecunious rich, from Middle English, from Latin pecuniosus, from pecunia money — more at fee

First Known Use

1596, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

impecunious

adjective

im·​pe·​cu·​nious ˌim-pi-ˈkyü-nyəs 

-nē-əs

: having little or no money

impecuniousness noun