Synonyms of penniless

penniless

adjective

ˈpe-ni-ləs 

as in impoverished

lacking money or material possessions

went from being a penniless girl to owner of her own restaurant

Synonyms & Similar Words

• impoverished
• poor
• broke
• bankrupt
• destitute
• beggared
• impecunious
• indigent
• penurious
• needy
• down-and-out
• dirt-poor
• pauperized
• famished
• deprived
• bankrupted
• poverty-stricken
• beggarly
• skint
• depressed
• necessitous
• needful
• threadbare
• out of pocket
• out at elbows
• hard up
• disadvantaged
• distressed
• dispossessed
• underprivileged
• insolvent
• down on one's luck
• ruined
• unaffluent
• bust
• hand-to-mouth
• pinched
• hardscrabble
• reduced
• straitened
• cash-strapped
• short
• poorish
• possessionless
• tapped out
• low

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• wealthy
• rich
• affluent
• well-to-do
• moneyed
• opulent
• fat
• flush
• well-off
• prosperous
• well-heeled
• comfortable
• fat-cat
• silk-stocking
• deep-pocketed

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of penniless

Alexander was, at this point, nearly penniless, moving from her large home to a one-room apartment in 1986 and taking a job at a local retirement home. — Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 4 Apr. 2026

Gone are the days of the penniless college athletes, so too is the level of desperation prospects felt to make the jump to the pros as quickly as possible. — Mike Jones, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2026

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