as in impoverished
lacking money or material possessions
went from being a penniless girl to owner of her own restaurant
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of penniless
Unfortunately, not long after Sow arrived in early 2022, the school went out of business, leaving the 15-year-old homeless and penniless with nowhere to go.
—
Steve Hartman, CBS News, 21 Feb. 2025
Not everyone at the table was penniless.
—David Remnick, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025
Regan befriended Bridger, who died in 1881 blind and penniless after living his final years in Westport, and rubbed shoulders with the James brothers.
—Dan Kelly, Kansas City Star, 26 Jan. 2025
Harper and Ullman said the younger women sometimes looked after elderly, infirm or penniless prisoners.
—Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 23 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for penniless
Steve Hartman, CBS News, 21 Feb. 2025
Not everyone at the table was penniless.
—David Remnick, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025
Regan befriended Bridger, who died in 1881 blind and penniless after living his final years in Westport, and rubbed shoulders with the James brothers.
—Dan Kelly, Kansas City Star, 26 Jan. 2025
Harper and Ullman said the younger women sometimes looked after elderly, infirm or penniless prisoners.
—Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 23 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for penniless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penniless
Adjective
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Eagerly drinking the Kool-Aid is Simone DeWitt (Alcock), a formerly impoverished but deeply ambitious upstart from Buffalo who gets a taste of the lifestyle of the rich and famous as Michaela's uppity assistant.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
23 May 2025
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That could mean removing spending from public school meal programs for impoverished children, removing access to health care to people with developmental disabilities, or cutting Social Security payments to even the deficit.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 May 2025
Adjective
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The product was released in 2023 to a poor reception, and discontinued before the company began winding down operations in February.—
Tom Huddleston Jr.,
CNBC,
24 May 2025
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This tactic is sometimes used to justify letting an employee go under the guise of poor performance.—
Sho Dewan,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2025
Adjective
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Meanwhile, countless others who chased hot tips and quick wins are broke, both financially and emotionally.—
Shane Enete,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2025
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Image Set in Brooklyn in the summer of 2022, the action takes place in the apartment of Emmy, a playwright freshly cognizant of the danger of being too broke to afford health insurance.—
Laura Collins-Hughes,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Penniless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penniless. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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