penniless

adjective

pen·​ni·​less ˈpe-ni-ləs How to pronounce penniless (audio)
: destitute of money

Examples of penniless in a Sentence

She was unemployed and penniless. went from being a penniless girl to owner of her own restaurant
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Arnaz’s maternal grandfather, Alberto de Acha, was an executive at rum producer Bacardi & Co. The man born Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III in Santiago de Cuba on March 2, 1917, arrived penniless in Miami before his 17th birthday. Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 19 June 2025 If Jeff Bezos moves to impoverished West Virginia to start a business next week, capital flows into the Mountain State will be staggeringly large, and that’s true even if Bezos arrives penniless. John Tamny, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025 Meanwhile, Andrea was left nearly penniless to care for their four children, the youngest of whom was 3 at the time, and had to quickly figure out how the rest of her life would go. Meredith Wilshere, People.com, 8 June 2025 To these penniless and amiably drunken men, every boozy beverage is always the last one — truly, for real this time, the last one — until the next one that usually comes right after. Tomris Laffly, Variety, 25 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for penniless

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of penniless was in the 14th century

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Cite this Entry

“Penniless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/penniless. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

penniless

adjective
pen·​ni·​less ˈpen-i-ləs How to pronounce penniless (audio)
ˈpen-ᵊl-əs
: having no money : very poor

More from Merriam-Webster on penniless

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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