penny-pinching 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of penny-pinchingnext
as in careful
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

penny-pinching

2 of 2

noun

ˈpe-nē-ˌpin-chiŋ How to pronounce penny-pinching (audio)
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
Noun
The penny-pinching paid off in 2023, when Berry bought her two-bedroom, one-bath home in Charleston, Tennessee, a small town about 45 miles outside of Chattanooga. — Alex Veiga, Fortune, 20 May 2026 But for now, penny-pinching can be accomplished with relatively inconsequential basketball moves. — Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2026 Some of these treats date as far back as the 1700s, while others were developed during the penny-pinching of the Great Depression or the liveliness of the 1950s. — Mack Swenson, Southern Living, 4 Dec. 2025 Everton have spent around £90million ($122m) so far this summer, a considerable departure from the days of penny-pinching towards the end of former owner Farhad Moshiri’s tenure. — Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penny-pinching
  1. careful
  2. saving
  3. economy
  4. selfish
  5. frugality
  6. economizing
  7. miserly
  8. thrift
Adjective
  • South Korea’s finance minister has apologized for launching the riskier products without careful consideration.
    — Stephanie Yang, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Regulators have been careful to note that the action targets concentrated and synthetic products, not natural leaf containing trace amounts.
    — Jesse M. Pines, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of careful
Noun
  • The universe didn’t throw them together because Louis needed to grieve, and Regina needed saving.
    — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
  • In the business world, there’s no consensus on making daylight saving time permanent.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026
Definition of saving
Noun
  • But its effect on us humans — and our lives and economies — isn’t straightforward.
    — Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
  • São Tomé and Príncipe first announced the citizenship-by-investment scheme in August 2025 with the goal of raising funds to support the local economy, which currently relies heavily on cocoa exports and foreign aid.
    — Brittany Chang, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of economy
Adjective
  • Erika is manipulative and selfish; Elliot doesn’t respect her boundaries either.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026
  • This Fire sign reminds us that taking up space and being unapologetically yourself isn’t inherently selfish, and genuine self-expression can be incredibly brave.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 29 July 2026
Definition of selfish
Noun
  • His frugality has been well-documented, and his refusal to treat Blazers operations like an NBA team rather than an NHL one is concerning.
    — Zach Harper, New York Times, 17 July 2026
  • Warren Buffett, whose fortune tops $150 billion, has long embraced frugality.
    — Preston Fore, Fortune, 7 July 2026
Definition of frugality
Noun
  • Inflation continues to pressure consumers The holiday economizing comes as Americans continue to battle inflation, which rose after the COVID-19 pandemic to levels not seen since the 1980s.
    — Alexander Coolidge, Cincinnati Enquirer, 11 Nov. 2025
Definition of economizing
Adjective
  • The plot involves two sons of rich, miserly fathers in love with girls their fathers will never approve of and what happens when the fathers’ devious servants decide to give the boys a hand.
    — Lonnie Burstein Hewitt, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 July 2026
  • The already rich reap the most, though the thin spreading of payments means the payouts are relatively miserly for the game’s elite.
    — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 21 July 2026
Definition of miserly
Noun
  • With local vendors selling everything from clothing, thrift and vintage pieces, beauty products, candles, jewelry, fragrances and more, this Indie Market promotes a rotating list of merchants.
    — Lesly Gregory, AJC.com, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Bedding can be found at thrift stores and can make a big impact on your bedroom.
    — Helena Madden, Martha Stewart, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of thrift

Browse Nearby Words

penny-pinchers
penny-pinching
penny-wise
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Penny-pinching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penny-pinching. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All