as in selfish
giving or sharing as little as possible
the new CEO's penny-pinching ways have helped to keep the company out of bankruptcy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in saving
careful management of material resources
they'll have to practice some penny-pinching if they want to save for a house
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in economy
the quality or practice of being overly sparing with money
reusing your tea bags is perhaps taking penny-pinching too far
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of penny-pinching
Ben Tercha, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
There is a fine line between prudence and penny-pinching.
—Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2025
Who wants to work for a place that seems to care more about penny-pinching than pursuing greatness?
—Peter Georgescu, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025
As the Chinese economy slows and job prospects worsen, people are penny-pinching on everything from groceries to electronics and cars.
—Juliana Liu, CNN, 22 Nov. 2024
But this isn't just about penny-pinching.
—Joseph Drups, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2024
As penny-pinching became even more vital coming out of the strikes, productions are increasingly opting to shoot in regions with more generous subsidies for Hollywood.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 27 Mar. 2025
Meanwhile, the documentary intimates, penny-pinching and dollar stretching, along with the corner-cutting and risk taking, continues in the world of indie genre cinema.
—Joe Leydon, Variety, 12 Mar. 2025
At a time when the balance of power has shifted unmistakably toward the National League, and the gap between all-in contenders and penny-pinching pushovers seems wider than ever, the AL East stands as a bastion of top-to-bottom competitiveness.
—Chad Jennings, The Athletic, 14 Feb. 2025
Noun
However, there’s a fine line between cost control and penny-pinching.
—Ben Tercha, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
There is a fine line between prudence and penny-pinching.
—Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2025
Who wants to work for a place that seems to care more about penny-pinching than pursuing greatness?
—Peter Georgescu, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025
As the Chinese economy slows and job prospects worsen, people are penny-pinching on everything from groceries to electronics and cars.
—Juliana Liu, CNN, 22 Nov. 2024
But this isn't just about penny-pinching.
—Joseph Drups, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2024
As penny-pinching became even more vital coming out of the strikes, productions are increasingly opting to shoot in regions with more generous subsidies for Hollywood.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 27 Mar. 2025
Meanwhile, the documentary intimates, penny-pinching and dollar stretching, along with the corner-cutting and risk taking, continues in the world of indie genre cinema.
—Joe Leydon, Variety, 12 Mar. 2025
At a time when the balance of power has shifted unmistakably toward the National League, and the gap between all-in contenders and penny-pinching pushovers seems wider than ever, the AL East stands as a bastion of top-to-bottom competitiveness.
—Chad Jennings, The Athletic, 14 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penny-pinching
Adjective
-
According to sources, some felt the decision was selfish, but others thanked her for her longstanding contributions in person and online, and felt the way in which the situation had unfolded was very unfair to her.—
Charlotte Harpur,
New York Times,
28 May 2025
-
Despite mixed emotions within his friend group, Reddit users were overwhelmingly on the poster's side, with many arguing that Jenna was being selfish.—
Virginia Chamlee,
People.com,
24 May 2025
Noun
-
Success in the appeal can lead to savings for several years as the change becomes the basis for the next assessment, said Sepp.—
Ana Teresa Solá,
CNBC,
24 May 2025
-
Her father lost his savings, possessions, and his wife.—
Barbara Demick,
New Yorker,
23 May 2025
Noun
-
Although many of them are paused, Trump's tariffs present a major threat to Japan's already flagging economy.—
Robert Ward,
NPR,
27 May 2025
-
The competitive process in our economy is complicated.—
Bill Conerly,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2025
Adjective
-
Watch out for slippery roads: Be extra careful during the first half hour after rain begins.—
Bay Area Weather Report,
Mercury News,
25 May 2025
-
Many participants with conflicting ideologies also reported cohabiting peacefully for the most part, while being careful not to bring up divisive topics and focus on their similarities instead.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2025
Noun
-
If there’s another deficit, as seems likely, candidates who spent the past year preaching frugality will fare better than those pushing profligacy.—
John Seiler,
Oc Register,
31 May 2025
-
As many early retirees know, a little frugality can shave years off the timeline.—
Joseph Drups,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
Adjective
-
But the approval process has been slow, the discounts vary from carrier to carrier, the requirements coming from insurers don’t always match the state’s own standards and the savings on offer are, according to some, miserly.—
CalMatters,
Mercury News,
30 Apr. 2025
-
Newcastle's player sale profits were miserly for years until June 2024 Profit on player sales from 2014 to 2024 (£millions) Column chart of Newcastle United profit on player sales, where club record £69.8m in 2023-24 far outweigh what came before.—
Chris Weatherspoon,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
At the time, the serial killer, who owned a string of thrift stores, claimed the bones came from a skeleton his late father, an anesthesiologist, obtained in medical school.—
Bailey Richards,
People.com,
24 May 2025
-
All her clothes come from thrift stores and most of her vegetables come from her garden.—
Matt Sedensky,
Los Angeles Times,
16 May 2025
Adjective
-
What the greedy developers are trying to do burns me to no end.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
18 May 2025
-
The beloved ruler was supposed to care about the wellbeing of his people, but the noblemen beneath him were greedy and indifferent.—
David Hambling,
Forbes.com,
6 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Penny-pinching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penny-pinching. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share