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
Unfortunately, not long after Sow arrived in early 2022, the school went out of business, leaving the 15-year-old homeless and penniless with nowhere to go.
—
Steve Hartman, CBS News, 21 Feb. 2025
Not everyone at the table was penniless.
—David Remnick, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025
Regan befriended Bridger, who died in 1881 blind and penniless after living his final years in Westport, and rubbed shoulders with the James brothers.
—Dan Kelly, Kansas City Star, 26 Jan. 2025
Harper and Ullman said the younger women sometimes looked after elderly, infirm or penniless prisoners.
—Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 23 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for penniless
Steve Hartman, CBS News, 21 Feb. 2025
Not everyone at the table was penniless.
—David Remnick, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025
Regan befriended Bridger, who died in 1881 blind and penniless after living his final years in Westport, and rubbed shoulders with the James brothers.
—Dan Kelly, Kansas City Star, 26 Jan. 2025
Harper and Ullman said the younger women sometimes looked after elderly, infirm or penniless prisoners.
—Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 23 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for penniless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penniless
Adjective
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Infectious disease experts note that the vitamin is most useful in impoverished countries where children are significantly malnourished.—
Katherine Dillinger,
CNN Money,
1 May 2025
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Post-Civil War, however, the nation was tired, and large segments of the population—especially in the South—were impoverished.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns each added 23 points and OG Anunoby bounced back from two poor performances by scoring 20 for the Knicks, who can win the series Wednesday night at Boston.—
Brian Mahoney,
Baltimore Sun,
13 May 2025
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Boston built big second-half leads on New York in both Games 1 and 2 at home, but squandered them due to uncharacteristically poor 3-point shooting.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 May 2025
Adjective
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Meanwhile, countless others who chased hot tips and quick wins are broke, both financially and emotionally.—
Shane Enete,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2025
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Image Set in Brooklyn in the summer of 2022, the action takes place in the apartment of Emmy, a playwright freshly cognizant of the danger of being too broke to afford health insurance.—
Laura Collins-Hughes,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Penniless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penniless. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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