as in parsimonious
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Recent Examples of penny-wise
Cutting these programs is penny-wise and pound-foolish.
—
Aisha Nyandoro, Forbes.com, 2 July 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
But even if successful, such an effort would likely be penny-wise and pound-foolish, leading U.S. allies to turn away from Washington in the long term.
—Stephen G. Brooks, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2025
Having these tenants lose their apartments and become homeless is penny-wise and pound-foolish.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 20 Feb. 2024
Ironically, its source is here on Earth: Congress, which has the penny-wise but pound-foolish policy of releasing just a trickle of funding to the space agency every year, hobbles many of NASA's mission goals that require thinking past a two-year House or six-year Senate term.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 30 Oct. 2023
On the other hand, avoid being penny-wise, pound-foolish.
—Kristine Gill, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Jan. 2024
Ironically, its source is here on Earth: Congress, which has the penny-wise but pound-foolish policy of releasing just a trickle of funding to the space agency every year, hobbles many of nasa's mission goals that require thinking past a two-year House or six-year Senate term.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 30 Oct. 2023
Aisha Nyandoro, Forbes.com, 2 July 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
But even if successful, such an effort would likely be penny-wise and pound-foolish, leading U.S. allies to turn away from Washington in the long term.
—Stephen G. Brooks, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2025
Having these tenants lose their apartments and become homeless is penny-wise and pound-foolish.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 20 Feb. 2024
Ironically, its source is here on Earth: Congress, which has the penny-wise but pound-foolish policy of releasing just a trickle of funding to the space agency every year, hobbles many of NASA's mission goals that require thinking past a two-year House or six-year Senate term.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 30 Oct. 2023
On the other hand, avoid being penny-wise, pound-foolish.
—Kristine Gill, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Jan. 2024
Ironically, its source is here on Earth: Congress, which has the penny-wise but pound-foolish policy of releasing just a trickle of funding to the space agency every year, hobbles many of nasa's mission goals that require thinking past a two-year House or six-year Senate term.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 30 Oct. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penny-wise
Adjective
-
The parsimonious publics of the United States and other democracies, on the other hand, would prevent their governments from expending the necessary resources to resist Beijing’s efforts to undermine a boycott.—
Dawn Brancati,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Mar. 2021
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Wimpy was a mild-mannered, soft-spoken, lazy, parsimonious, and utterly gluttonous hamburger-wolfing straight man to Popeye.—
Richard Lederer,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 July 2025
Adjective
-
McKim, Mead & White quickly became the place for aspiring young architects, who avidly sought jobs there despite miserly salaries.—
Henry Wiencek
July 22,
Literary Hub,
22 July 2025
-
The miserly email account offerings are particularly limiting for larger ventures, and unusual for the category which typically offers unlimited email.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
16 June 2025
Adjective
-
Every year, a complacent, tightfisted city council turned down the recommendations.—
Margaret Talbot,
The New Yorker,
2 Oct. 2023
-
Kotick played the tightfisted owner of the Oakland A’s.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
31 May 2023
Adjective
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But both are gone because neither could make magic of Sherman’s low-spending model that still includes the most penurious payroll in MLB in 2025.—
Greg Cote
July 16,
Miami Herald,
16 July 2025
-
Those who are approved must cope with notoriously unreliable in-home nursing, a byproduct of the state’s penurious reimbursement rates.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Hom is frugal with energy in ways that go beyond heating and cooling.—
Roxana Popescu,
Mercury News,
11 Aug. 2025
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The move toward frugal dating is also set against the backdrop of high student debt and the lasting economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The utilities sub-component was off -2.9% (was this weather, or a thriftier consumer?), machinery -1.0%, construction supplies (-0.7%) and even the production of consumer goods was off (-0.2%).—
Robert Barone,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
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Meanwhile, someone might have advice about how to be thrifty.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
20 July 2025
Adjective
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So, what would really help the Mets’ pen would be a late-game arm who is stingy with free passes.—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
28 July 2025
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Apple has always been a bit stingy with RAM in iDevices, even more so a few years ago, and especially in lower-end devices (Apple Intelligence and its apparent 8GB RAM requirement have been a bit of an equalizer here).—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
24 July 2025
Adjective
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These can feel like economical bonuses, but the cost of these comforts are also equally consequential.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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As saccharine salsa romántica became a pop phenomenon, Palmieri skewed toward economical composition and sonic bombardment, his penchant for trombone-heavy setups sparking a movement of its own within salsa.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
7 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Penny-wise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penny-wise. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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