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
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
Chicago Tribune 1924: After spending his final years living in the Hotel Warner at 33rd Street and Cottage Grove Avenue in Chicago, penniless and in rapidly declining health, architect Louis Sullivan died.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2025
Eugene was penniless and in debt to his sister to the tune of $2,000.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 31 Mar. 2025
Eugene was penniless and in debt to his sister to the tune of $2,000.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for penniless
Tomris Laffly, Variety, 25 May 2025
Chicago Tribune 1924: After spending his final years living in the Hotel Warner at 33rd Street and Cottage Grove Avenue in Chicago, penniless and in rapidly declining health, architect Louis Sullivan died.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2025
Eugene was penniless and in debt to his sister to the tune of $2,000.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 31 Mar. 2025
Eugene was penniless and in debt to his sister to the tune of $2,000.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for penniless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penniless
Adjective
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Many are located in impoverished barrios dominated by criminals — who are now demanding a cut of their tuition fees.—
John Otis,
NPR,
7 July 2025
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The ignorant need cultural immersion at the American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora, which tells the story of those who fled the Cuban island that went from a free, prosperous republic to an oppressive, impoverished dictatorship within a single generation.—
Luka Ladan,
New York Daily News,
5 July 2025
Adjective
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But August is perhaps a poor month in which to rally the staff.—
John Updike,
New Yorker,
11 July 2025
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This last group is those with still poor (<50) RS Ratings, but strong (>80) 3-month RS Ratings. a.—
Randy Watts,
Forbes.com,
11 July 2025
Adjective
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Meanwhile, lawmakers learned Wednesday that Social Security and Medicare are expected to go broke earlier than last projected because of rising costs, according to the funds’ trustees.—
Kristina Karisch,
The Hill,
19 June 2025
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But Lucy is a pragmatist, recalling an anniversary fight with John when they were broke and unhappy.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
9 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Penniless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penniless. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
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