Synonym Chooser

How is the word penury distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of penury are destitution, indigence, poverty, and want. While all these words mean "the state of one with insufficient resources," penury suggests a cramping or oppressive lack of money.

a catastrophic illness that condemned them to years of penury

Where would indigence be a reasonable alternative to penury?

The words indigence and penury are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, indigence implies seriously straitened circumstances.

the indigence of her years as a graduate student

When could poverty be used to replace penury?

In some situations, the words poverty and penury are roughly equivalent. However, poverty may cover a range from extreme want of necessities to an absence of material comforts.

the extreme poverty of the slum dwellers

How are the words want and destitution related as synonyms of penury?

Both want and destitution imply extreme poverty that threatens life itself through starvation or exposure.

lived in a perpetual state of want
the widespread destitution in countries beset by famine

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of penury Knowing that Jane Austen never got her own Pemberley, and seeing the penury and leaking roofs portrayed, are very different things. Kim Campbell, Christian Science Monitor, 1 May 2025 That would help ensure that our longer lives are not feared as a time of pain, penury or purposelessness, but as a treasured gift of years. Avivah Wittenberg-Cox, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025 How will the military’s top brass respond to the country’s deepening penury, which risks sparking civil unrest? Ivan Briscoe, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2019 In doing so, China followed in the footsteps of other Asian countries like Japan and South Korea that had gone through penury to wealth in the postwar period through economic development and trade. Bryan Walsh, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018 See All Example Sentences for penury
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penury
Noun
  • Families with incomes not exceeding 200% of the federal poverty level are eligible to participate in Wisconsin Shares, and may remain eligible until their income reaches 85% of the state median income.
    Jessie Opoien, jsonline.com, 1 Oct. 2025
  • If not renewed, those earning above 400% of the federal poverty level will lose subsidies, while those below 100% will see reduced support.
    Beth Warren, Nashville Tennessean, 1 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • By the time the misery was over, Skubal walked toward the dugout, took a hard seat on the bench and clasped his hands.
    Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025
  • Far from signaling misery, crying can be a source of pleasure, as when people pay good money to read a tearjerker or watch a three-hankie movie.
    Big Think, Big Think, 23 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Penury.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penury. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.

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