as in impoverished
lacking money or material possessions
went from being a penniless girl to owner of her own restaurant
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Recent Examples of penniless
McGregor, on the other hand, had viewers in the palm of his hand as Christian, the penniless writer who falls in love with Satine despite her commitment to a truly vile duke, who has invested in the Moulin Rouge and promised to make Satine’s dreams of stage stardom come true.
—
Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Mar. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for penniless
Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Mar. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for penniless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penniless
Adjective
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Rural Cuba was profoundly impoverished and underdeveloped before and during the Batista era, and land ownership was scant among the working poor.—
Max Saltman,
CNN Money,
4 June 2026
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So much for bringing the experience of art to culturally impoverished Butte.—
Jonathan Franzen,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
Adjective
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Common travel regrets stem from preventable issues like poor planning, budget problems, and choosing the wrong companions.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
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O’Farrell’s inclination for narratives propelled by brutal coincidence and fatally poor timing tenders a Hardy-esque vision of the world, one that emphasizes the rigid, often cruel limits of an individual’s jurisdiction over the course of their life.—
Rachel Vorona Cote,
Vulture,
2 June 2026
Adjective
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And as for the financial motive that Kouri was broke?—
Natalie Morales,
CBS News,
24 May 2026
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In the 1940s, the company leading the mining operation went broke and filed for bankruptcy, and many residents moved on.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
23 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Penniless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penniless. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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