impecunious
- adjective
- /ˌɪmpɪˈkjuːniəs/
- When they lost their jobs, they became impecunious and struggled to pay their bills.
Examples
-
The plot has two impecunious Americans, Fred Dobbs (played by Humphrey Bogart) and Bob Curtin (played by Tim Holt), prospecting for gold in 1920s Mexico.
Blog text (30) -
A family of good and brave people who suddenly find themselves in impecunious circumstances.
-
Your father was well born, impecunious, and wonderful to look at.
Fiction book (1991) -
In most, if not all, states the law does require that adult children provide financial support for their impecunious parents.
Blog text (3) -
Sir Charles never questioned why he, an impecunious baron, should have captured the hand of such a well-dowered lady.
Fiction book (1990) -
- Our school charter states that a certain number of scholarships must be awarded to the financially impecunious.
-
He had already taken the voluntary vow of an impecunious life.
Academic text (2001) -
I like that one, but tell me more about the impecunious debtor with his dreadful concertina.
-
Their money and resources would be most welcome to the impecunious activists who are commencing a study of the registrations and vote tallies now.
Blog text (4) -
My nephew, Miss Austen, condescends far indeed in offering to the daughter of an obscure and impecunious clergyman.
Synonyms
Having little money or possessions
Having no money
People or places that have very little money and few things they need
Without enough food, clothes, or a home and often gets help from others
Having no money
Very poor and without enough money for basic needs
Having very little money and struggling to pay bills
Very poor and needing help to live
Completely without something that is needed or wanted
Very poor and unable to pay for basic needs
With no money at all
Having almost no money
A person who has little money and cannot buy basic things
A person who has little money to pay basic costs
Having no money to pay for things
Very poor and living with almost no money
Poor and without enough food, money or shelter
Having almost no money or things
Antonyms
How Poor
Surface Forms
Morphology
impecunious = pecunious (opaque) = im + pecuni + ous
The negative prefix 'im-' is productive but the stem 'pecuni-'/the adjective 'pecunious' is rare and not known to most learners, so the meaning cannot be reliably derived.
Etymology
Impecunious comes from the Latin parts in- 'not' and pecunia 'money'. So it means 'not having money', which is why we use it for someone with little or no money.