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
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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
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Recent Examples of penny-pinching
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
Amid a tit-for-tat race to host Hollywood to boost their local economies, regions across the world like New York, New Jersey, the U.K. and Australia beckon to production executives increasingly turning to penny-pinching.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 22 July 2025
For experienced leaders, saving money isn’t necessarily about penny-pinching, but rather about optimizing how and where resources are spent.
—Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 10 July 2025
While the Harry Potter star might have blown through a good chunk of his wealth, many other celebrities are penny-pinching during their career highs.
—Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 24 June 2025
The result: No more penny-pinching, forget about getting a penny for your thoughts, and Ben Franklin's quote about a penny saved being a penny earned may confuse future generations.
—Maya Bell, jsonline.com, 30 May 2025
However, there’s a fine line between cost control and penny-pinching.
—Ben Tercha, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
Noun
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
Amid a tit-for-tat race to host Hollywood to boost their local economies, regions across the world like New York, New Jersey, the U.K. and Australia beckon to production executives increasingly turning to penny-pinching.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 22 July 2025
For experienced leaders, saving money isn’t necessarily about penny-pinching, but rather about optimizing how and where resources are spent.
—Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 10 July 2025
While the Harry Potter star might have blown through a good chunk of his wealth, many other celebrities are penny-pinching during their career highs.
—Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 24 June 2025
The result: No more penny-pinching, forget about getting a penny for your thoughts, and Ben Franklin's quote about a penny saved being a penny earned may confuse future generations.
—Maya Bell, jsonline.com, 30 May 2025
However, there’s a fine line between cost control and penny-pinching.
—Ben Tercha, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penny-pinching
Adjective
-
Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Leeds are right on the limit of their profitability and sustainability (PSR) projections, but with some careful rebalancing of the finances, this could be a swing worth taking.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The mitigation is to disable automative media saving.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Routine Pap smears are life-saving.—
Essence,
Essence,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The work offered by Alban isn’t sufficient for the couple to make a living, least of all in a new-to-them urban economy where everything from renting an apartment to making a bank withdrawal comes with hidden costs.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
31 Jan. 2026
-
While the next storm is never far away in New England, the value proposition for our customers and the state is clear – strategic, cost-effective investments in reliability deliver real benefits to families, businesses and the broader economy.—
Steve Sullivan,
Hartford Courant,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Freedom and rule of law were defended last night, but dictators will try to exploit this to rationalize their selfish objectives.—
Rachel Scott,
ABC News,
3 Jan. 2026
-
Even though a lot of what happens in the book borders on the ridiculous because of the behavior of narcissistic selfish venal individuals.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Understanding that difference can prevent endless money conflicts because frugality builds a meaningful life, while cheapness slowly erodes joy.—
Brian Page,
CNBC,
26 Dec. 2025
-
Baby boomers’ good timing America’s septuagenarians were raised by parents who came of age during the Great Depression and learned the hard way the lessons of frugality and the importance of saving money.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
8 Dec. 2025
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
Adjective
-
Como had been neck-and-neck with Roma’s miserly backline before shipping four at Inter last Saturday, a chastening defeat that ended an unbeaten run stretching back to the end of August.—
Jack Bantock,
New York Times,
12 Dec. 2025
-
In this version, miserly Madame Eleanor is visited by the ghost former business partner Jacob Marley as well as a few other apparitions.—
Christopher Smith,
Oc Register,
26 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Revenue generated from the thrift store will go directly toward food pantries, home visits, reentry services and emergency assistance programs across Southwest Idaho, the nonprofit said.—
Angela Palermo,
Idaho Statesman,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Knives Everything from steak knives and chef knives to pen knives usually gets shuffled out the back door of thrift stores.—
Michelle Mastro,
The Spruce,
25 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Penny-pinching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penny-pinching. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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