as in selfish
giving or sharing as little as possible
the new CEO's penny-pinching ways have helped to keep the company out of bankruptcy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in saving
careful management of material resources
they'll have to practice some penny-pinching if they want to save for a house
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in economy
the quality or practice of being overly sparing with money
reusing your tea bags is perhaps taking penny-pinching too far
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 penny-pinching
Ben Tercha, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
There is a fine line between prudence and penny-pinching.
—Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2025
Who wants to work for a place that seems to care more about penny-pinching than pursuing greatness?
—Peter Georgescu, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025
As the Chinese economy slows and job prospects worsen, people are penny-pinching on everything from groceries to electronics and cars.
—Juliana Liu, CNN, 22 Nov. 2024
But this isn't just about penny-pinching.
—Joseph Drups, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2024
As penny-pinching became even more vital coming out of the strikes, productions are increasingly opting to shoot in regions with more generous subsidies for Hollywood.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 27 Mar. 2025
Meanwhile, the documentary intimates, penny-pinching and dollar stretching, along with the corner-cutting and risk taking, continues in the world of indie genre cinema.
—Joe Leydon, Variety, 12 Mar. 2025
At a time when the balance of power has shifted unmistakably toward the National League, and the gap between all-in contenders and penny-pinching pushovers seems wider than ever, the AL East stands as a bastion of top-to-bottom competitiveness.
—Chad Jennings, The Athletic, 14 Feb. 2025
Noun
However, there’s a fine line between cost control and penny-pinching.
—Ben Tercha, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
There is a fine line between prudence and penny-pinching.
—Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2025
Who wants to work for a place that seems to care more about penny-pinching than pursuing greatness?
—Peter Georgescu, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025
As the Chinese economy slows and job prospects worsen, people are penny-pinching on everything from groceries to electronics and cars.
—Juliana Liu, CNN, 22 Nov. 2024
But this isn't just about penny-pinching.
—Joseph Drups, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2024
As penny-pinching became even more vital coming out of the strikes, productions are increasingly opting to shoot in regions with more generous subsidies for Hollywood.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 27 Mar. 2025
Meanwhile, the documentary intimates, penny-pinching and dollar stretching, along with the corner-cutting and risk taking, continues in the world of indie genre cinema.
—Joe Leydon, Variety, 12 Mar. 2025
At a time when the balance of power has shifted unmistakably toward the National League, and the gap between all-in contenders and penny-pinching pushovers seems wider than ever, the AL East stands as a bastion of top-to-bottom competitiveness.
—Chad Jennings, The Athletic, 14 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penny-pinching
Adjective
-
Iran is not a backward place, even if its current government is backward-looking and selfish.—
Colin Pascal,
Baltimore Sun,
24 June 2025
-
There’s nobody selfish, one through nine, and the bench players, too.—
Mitch Sherman,
New York Times,
21 June 2025
Noun
-
When asked about key advantages, legal teams cited three primary benefits: faster turnaround times, time savings and reduced tedious work.—
Sajal Singh,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
-
The new rules are slated to start in late 2026 — moved up from 2029 — after some lawmakers objected that savings wouldn’t materialize soon enough.—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 June 2025
Noun
-
In an era of a tough economy, unconventional ties bring humor and lighten the mood.—
Kristopher Fraser,
Robb Report,
20 June 2025
-
Despite higher tariffs and a brewing conflict in the Middle East, the U.S. economy has remained on solid ground.—
Fred Imbert,
CNBC,
20 June 2025
Adjective
-
While the latest inflation and jobs market reports showed that any disruption caused by tariffs has so far been minor, the Fed is clearly being careful about what could happen in the coming weeks and months.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 June 2025
-
However, be careful of blurring the distinction between professional and personal relationships.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
19 June 2025
Noun
-
Channel your inner frugality with these cost-saving measures for your garden.—
Luke Miller,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 June 2025
-
If there’s another deficit, as seems likely, candidates who spent the past year preaching frugality will fare better than those pushing profligacy.—
John Seiler,
Oc Register,
31 May 2025
Adjective
-
The Athletics, despite their miserly ways, have a strong foundation of young players — Silver Slugger Brent Rooker, Lawrence Butler, Jacob Wilson, JJ Bleday, Shea Langeliers, Zack Gelof, and this year’s #4 pick in the draft, Nick Kurtz.—
Dan Freedman,
Forbes,
20 Dec. 2024
-
But the approval process has been slow, the discounts vary from carrier to carrier, the requirements coming from insurers don’t always match the state’s own standards and the savings on offer are, according to some, miserly.—
CalMatters,
Mercury News,
30 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The [zoids] were the guys who wore tough leather, black, chains, or thrift store clothes.—
James Mercadante,
EW.com,
17 June 2025
-
Apparel is the largest secondhand category, with the market reaching more than 50 billion US dollars in 2022 alone, with consumers buying second-hand clothes from thrift stores and online.—
Rachael O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 June 2025
Adjective
-
People often stereotype crypto investors as reckless, young, or greedy.—
Jennifer Jolly,
USA Today,
18 June 2025
-
To be patient but not to be greedy, Lilian thought now, studying Maureen’s pale eyelids.—
Yiyun Li,
New Yorker,
15 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Penny-pinching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penny-pinching. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share