impecunious

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UK, US/ˌɪm.pəˈkjuː.ni.əs/UK, US/ˌɪm.pɪˈkjuː.ni.əs/

adjective

Lacking money.

Similar
poorpennilesshard upin straitened circumstancespenuriouspinched
RareFirst used 1596Scrabble 17

Meanings

adjectiveimpecunious (not comparable)
  1. not comparableLacking money.First known use 1596

    When I, good friends, was called to the bar, I'd an appetite fresh and hearty, But I was, as many young barristers are, An impecunious party.

    1875 March 25, William S. Gilbert, Trial by Jury
    3 more examples

    "Then what became of her?" "Her? Which 'her'? The park is full of 'hers.'" "The lady with the green feathers in her hat. A big Gainsborough hat. I am quite sure it was Miss Hartuff." "Not improbably. I presume she does sometimes take the air. And possibly she may be the happy owner of a Gainsborough hat with green feathers." "Don't be frivolous, please. She was in that victoria." "Then perhaps she was too impecunious to drive both ways."

    February 1896, Ground-swells, by Jeannette H. Walworth, published in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine; page 183

    [I]t would be a simple matter, sir, to find some impecunious author who would be glad to do the actual composition of the volume for a small fee.

    1919, P. G. Wodehouse, “Leave it to Jeeves”, in My Man Jeeves

    The Rhymney (51 route miles), once an impecunious hanger-on of the Taff Vale, had enjoyed its own route through Caerphilly into Cardiff since 1871, [...].

    1939 September, D. S. Barrie, “The Railways of South Wales”, in Railway Magazine, page 158

    Synonyms: poor, penniless

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveLacking money.

More synonyms by meaning

adjectivenot having enough money to pay for necessities

Similar
hard upin straitened circumstancespennilesspenuriouspinchedpoor

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latinpecūniōsus
  2. Englishimpecunious

From im- + pecunious, from Latin pecūniōsus, from pecūnia (“money”) + -ōsus (“full of”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian безпаричен
  • безпаричен (bezparičen)lacking money
Czech nemající peníze, jsoucí bez peněz
  • nemající penízelacking money
  • jsoucí bez penězlacking money
  • jsoucí bez prostředkůlacking money
  • nezámožnýlacking money
  • chudýlacking money
Finnish rahaton
  • rahatonlacking money
French impécunieux
  • impécunieuxlacking money
Māori monikore, pakukore
  • monikorelacking money
  • pakukorelacking money
Norwegian fattig
  • fattiglacking money
Polish biedny, ubogi
  • biednylacking money
  • ubogilacking money
  • niezamożnylacking money
Spanish menesteroso, inope
  • menesterosolacking money
  • inopelacking money
  • impecunelacking money
Cite this entry
APA

impecunious. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/impecunious

MLA

“impecunious.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/impecunious. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “impecunious,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/impecunious.

Source: impecunious on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.