as in poverty
the state of lacking sufficient money or material possessions
lived in a time when single women like herself faced a lifetime of genteel penury
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Recent Examples of penury
All of this penury is something of a departure for President Trump, who presided over small but steady budget increases for NASA—from just over $18 billion to just over $21 billion—during his first term.
—
Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 6 May 2025
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
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
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
See All Example Sentences for penury
Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 6 May 2025
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
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
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
See All Example Sentences for penury
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penury
Noun
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Across the Americas – the most murderous region in the world – the average life expectancy of a trans woman is just 35 years old, according to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which attributes the frequency of early death to compounding violence, poverty and social exclusion.—
Ladan Anoushfar,
CNN Money,
6 Aug. 2025
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The President’s Cake, from a multiple award winner at Cannes, Iraqi filmmaker Hasan Hadi, a heartbreaking and unforgettable look at a country crushed by poverty and international sanctions — and ruled by a sadistic, greedy and vain tyrant.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
5 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Nothing was achieved except more misery for the region at the hands of Hamas and its allies.—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
11 Aug. 2025
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The question of whether there is hunger is different from the question of who is responsible for the misery.—
Seth Mandel,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Penury.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penury. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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