penny-wise

adjective

Definition of penny-wisenext
as in parsimonious

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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-wise With Oracle having lost more than $20 billion in stock-market value today, this appears to be penny-wise and pound foolish. — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 24 Sep. 2026 That led to the penny-wise, pound-foolish path of appeasement. — Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025 Undermining Bayh-Dole to scrape together a billion or two in revenue would be penny-wise and pound-foolish. — Sally Pipes, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025 In fiscal terms, the budget cuts are penny-wise and galactically foolish. — Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025 Cheap graphics cards are penny-wise but dollar-foolish for gaming PCs. — Brad Bourque, Wired News, 9 Aug. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penny-wise
  1. parsimonious
  2. miserly
  3. tightfisted
  4. penurious
  5. frugal
  6. thrifty
  7. stingy
  8. economical
Adjective
  • The pasta—a hair clump of noodles in a soupy, sweetish tomato sauce—came in one of those parsimonious bowls with a small hollow in the middle and a rim as broad as Saturn’s rings.
    — Ruby Tandoh, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026
  • This one seemed slow and turgid, and the Australian attack was parsimonious, with only the sixth bowler used, Ash Gardner, going at more than 10 runs an over in her three overs.
    — Paul Newman, New York Times, 5 July 2026
Definition of parsimonious
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
Adjective
  • Dobie’s cantankerous, tightfisted father and sweet, harebrained mother were played by the characters actors Frank Faylen and Florida Friebus.
    — Margalit Fox, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2022
  • The ambience reflects Hankey’s tightfisted approach to his seven companies, which include a Toyota dealership, a dealer management software developer and Midway Car Rental, which does a big business renting exotic cars.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2021
Definition of tightfisted
Adjective
  • The Marlins of course notoriously are among baseball’s cheapest teams, led by penurious owner Bruce Sherman.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 5 Aug. 2026
  • There’s a cast of wanderers, visionaries, and itinerants, the self-educated and self-published, a long lineage of cranks and outcasts, mostly penurious, always opinionated, stretching away into the mists of pseudohistory.
    — Hari Kunzru, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Definition of penurious
Adjective
  • Throughout the year, these frugal teams have accomplished quite a bit while matching up against the league’s high rollers.
    — Isaac Tellechea, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
  • And there was like that frugal DIY part of me that was like, ‘That’s ridiculous, man.
    — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of frugal
Adjective
  • The league intends to address the wide financial gulf between their top-spending clubs and their thriftiest, despite the success of small-market teams this postseason.
    — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The thrifty Rays clinched their fifth AL East title with a 6-1 victory over the New York Yankees in the second game of a day-night doubleheader Tuesday as Drew Rasmussen allowed one hit in 6 2/3 innings and Yandy Díaz hit a pair of two-run singles.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of thrifty
Adjective
  • Mexico’s stingy defense at the World Cup was a big part of its early success.
    — Felipe Cardenas, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Another example is ridicule and mockery of stingy or braggadocious individuals, which keeps greed and bravado in check.
    — Christopher von Rueden, The Conversation, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of stingy
Adjective
  • Conceived with an advanced hybrid diesel-electric propulsion system, the vessel has a range of approximately 6,500 nautical miles at an economical cruising speed of 12 knots.
    — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 15 Oct. 2026
  • This is so economical and an effective supplement to love declarations.
    — Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of economical

Browse Nearby Words

penny-pinching
penny-wise
pennyworth
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Cite this Entry

“Penny-wise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penny-wise. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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