in straitened circumstances
- idiom
- Formal
:
en circunstancias difíciles
- Mrs. Cross, a gentlewoman in straitened circumstances, will come with me as my companion, to pack and unpack.
Examples
-
His father, a railroad worker, was killed in an accident when Mitchum was two years old, and thereafter his family lived in straitened circumstances.
Academic text (2010) -
I assumed that too much time in straitened circumstances contributed to the aggrieved suspicion darkening her voice.
Fiction book (1999) -
After a week of gentle, noncommittal responses from the Mother Superior, Scarlett was so desperate that she even began to accompany her aunts when they paid calls on friends of theirs who were also elderly Catholic ladies in straitened circumstances.
Fiction book (1991) -
With respect to assessing one's position in society, while whites at midlife are at the pinnacle of their careers and incomes, today's midlife blacks are in straitened circumstances.
Academic text (1991) -
Many families in the community are living in straitened circumstances and struggle to afford basic meals.
-
During the economic downturn, numerous workers found themselves in straitened circumstances, unable to pay their bills.
-
After losing his job, he had to adjust to a life in straitened circumstances, which meant making sacrifices for his family.
Synonyms
50
6.2
People or places that have very little money and few things they need
43
1.5
Without enough food, clothes, or a home and often gets help from others
33
6.0
Short of money or resources and finding things difficult
24
4.3
Having no money
22
8.7
Very poor and without enough money for basic needs
20
6.5
Very poor and without basic things like food or a home
11
7.4
A very difficult situation that causes serious money problems
10
8.0
Having very little money and struggling to pay bills
9
5.1
Very poor and needing help to live
9
4.1
Having serious money problems and unable to pay bills
1
6.8
To live with only enough money to pay for basic needs and no savings
1
9.9
Having little or no money
1
9.9
Very poor and unable to pay for basic needs
1
9.3
With no money at all
1
7.6
Having almost no money
A person who has little money to pay basic costs
Poor and without enough food, money or shelter
Not having enough money or help for basic needs
Having almost no money or things
Very poor and only able to pay for basic needs like food
Being very short of money and struggling to pay for things
Antonyms
How Poor
20
6.5
50
6.2
- Formal
- Informal
56
3.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
in + straiten + circumstances
The meaning is directly compositional: 'straitened' (made narrow or put into financial distress) modifies 'circumstances', and the preposition 'in' indicates being in that state, so the phrase means experiencing financial difficulty. Although 'straitened' is somewhat formal, a B1 learner who knows the constituent meanings can reliably infer the overall sense.
Etymology
In straitened circumstances comes from the image of being squeezed into a narrow space. The word straitened means tight or squeezed and circumstances means a person's situation, so the phrase came to mean 'having little money'.