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
-
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
-
Both parsimonious tenets are measurable, explainable and actionable.—
Noah Barsky,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
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
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
-
Her father was an environmentalist, and the frugal sort.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
10 July 2025
-
Lotty, for instance, is the anxiously frugal wife of an upwardly mobile solicitor who wants the family to live within their means.—
Claire Jarvis,
New Yorker,
8 July 2025
Adjective
-
The movie was made for a thrifty $25M, 50% co-financed by Sony Pictures, and dealt with a production pause due to the strikes.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
25 Apr. 2025
-
The Dell Inspiron 15 and the Asus Vivobook Go 15 are two other thrifty AMD laptops.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The Lynx remain the class of the Western Conference with a 19-4 record, owning both the second-best offense (84.9 points per game) and the league's stingiest defense (allowing just 75.3 points per game).—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 July 2025
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However, the Switch 2 upgrade path has proven to be quite stingy.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
6 July 2025
Adjective
-
Written in a fresh, economical style, they're informed by her pointed wit and acute moral and psychological perception.—
Tom Gliatto,
People.com,
19 July 2025
-
Be thoughtful, economical and evocative in your sentences.—
Aaron Couch,
HollywoodReporter,
10 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Penny-wise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penny-wise. Accessed 31 Jul. 2025.
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