as in impoverished
lacking money or material possessions
went from being a penniless girl to owner of her own restaurant
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 penniless
Some states are looking to what’s next In the meantime, bills to deal with penniless cash transactions have passed both chambers and await the governor’s signature in Arizona, Florida, Oregon, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington.
—
Hannah Fingerhut, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2026
In the meantime, bills to deal with penniless cash transactions have passed both chambers and await the governor's signature in Arizona, Florida, Oregon, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington.
—ABC News, 11 Mar. 2026
Twenty-four masterpieces, many rarely lent, were gathered from museums all over the world and brought together in the city where Caravaggio, born Michelangelo Merisi, arrived penniless in 1592.
—Nicole Krauss, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
Immediately, the indelible comedy of the scene kicks in, as dancers and singers reenact the dream, which Golde takes as a sign that daughter Tzeitel should marry penniless but hardworking tailor Motel.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for penniless
Hannah Fingerhut, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2026
In the meantime, bills to deal with penniless cash transactions have passed both chambers and await the governor's signature in Arizona, Florida, Oregon, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington.
—ABC News, 11 Mar. 2026
Twenty-four masterpieces, many rarely lent, were gathered from museums all over the world and brought together in the city where Caravaggio, born Michelangelo Merisi, arrived penniless in 1592.
—Nicole Krauss, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
Immediately, the indelible comedy of the scene kicks in, as dancers and singers reenact the dream, which Golde takes as a sign that daughter Tzeitel should marry penniless but hardworking tailor Motel.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for penniless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penniless
Adjective
-
In Raspail’s tale, hordes of impoverished and dark-skinned brutes from India descend onto French shores by way of rafts, the first wave of an invasion of the civilized West by the brown-skinned developing world.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Apr. 2026
-
The youngsters took the train south to the deep, impoverished heart of China.—
Michael Sheridan,
Vanity Fair,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Arsenal were pretty poor but won, Sporting were pretty good but lost.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Ackman blamed its poor share price performance partly on the delay of UMG’s listing in the United States.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Such strong characterizations and go-for-broke performances, especially among the women, make up for some decidedly contrived plotting.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
9 Apr. 2026
-
In a recent interview, Case explained that she was functionally broke—no streaming income, no touring revenue during COVID, no way to keep the wheel turning.—
Elizabeth Nelson,
Pitchfork,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Penniless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penniless. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
