Definition of penuriousnext
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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective penurious contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of penurious are close, miserly, niggardly, parsimonious, and stingy. While all these words mean "being unwilling or showing unwillingness to share with others," penurious implies niggardliness that gives an appearance of actual poverty.

the penurious eccentric bequeathed a fortune

Where would close be a reasonable alternative to penurious?

While the synonyms close and penurious are close in meaning, close suggests keeping a tight grip on one's money and possessions.

folks who are very close when charity calls

When might miserly be a better fit than penurious?

While in some cases nearly identical to penurious, miserly suggests a sordid avariciousness and a morbid pleasure in hoarding.

a miserly couple devoid of social conscience

When is it sensible to use niggardly instead of penurious?

Although the words niggardly and penurious have much in common, niggardly implies giving or spending the very smallest amount possible.

the niggardly amount budgeted for the town library

In what contexts can parsimonious take the place of penurious?

The words parsimonious and penurious can be used in similar contexts, but parsimonious suggests a frugality so extreme as to lead to stinginess.

a parsimonious lifestyle notably lacking in luxuries

When can stingy be used instead of penurious?

The meanings of stingy and penurious largely overlap; however, stingy implies a marked lack of generosity.

a stingy child, not given to sharing

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 penurious Even so, the general picture of a mother’s absence and a daughter’s understandable resentment at having had to pick up the maternal slack in penurious conditions comes through loud and clear. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2024 Whatever was going on between the two rich men, the murder investigation presents a profound, perhaps insurmountable challenge to the penurious tropical police force. Nina Burleigh, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 May 2024 Both album and turntable were all the rage, and the Technics was the first quality direct-drive turntable that a penurious college student could afford. Robert Ross, Robb Report, 20 Mar. 2024 There are resentful relatives, penurious relatives, conniving relatives, no relatives, and loved ones denied input because they are not related. Dan Barry, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024 See All Example Sentences for penurious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penurious
Adjective
  • The move, Lindon said, is careful.
    Sydney Lake, Fortune, 9 May 2026
  • However, the Vaile Victorian Society, the volunteer group that maintains the house and runs tours, worries that once the house ceases to become a public property, the careful preservation work, which the aged property relies on, will be impossible to maintain.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 8 May 2026
Adjective
  • Suu Kyi, 80, has been detained by the junta since and her whereabouts have been unclear amid a deadly civil war that was triggered by the February 2021 coup that has engulfed much of the impoverished Southeast Asian nation.
    CNN Money, CNN Money, 1 May 2026
  • Democrats have attacked these anti-fraud policies as an effort to undermine safety net programs for the impoverished.
    Editorial, Boston Herald, 30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • My young and selfish self was not happy.
    Esther Ndumi Ngumbi, NPR, 10 May 2026
  • To do otherwise is neglectful and selfish.
    Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 8 May 2026
Adjective
  • Harper opened a small dance studio, on Forty-sixth Street; business was poor until Bradley was hired and revamped Delroy’s act.
    Brian Seibert, New Yorker, 13 May 2026
  • Still vehicle electronics can be damaged from reverse polarity, poor or wrong connection points or voltage spikes from improper equipment.
    Hartford Courant, Hartford Courant, 12 May 2026
Adjective
  • Summers in Florida would not be so hot if lawmakers were not so greedy; developers not so persistent; if land and wildlife weren’t paved for roads, parking lots and housing developments.
    Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 May 2026
  • The bottom line is this World Cup’s bottom line comes with the tournament’s most expensive tickets ever the world’s most popular event collides with all-American capitalism at its greediest.
    Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 6 May 2026
Adjective
  • On Monday, Pat Riley essentially said what’s broke should be fixed.
    Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 30 Apr. 2026
  • This suited Reeves, who, like many of his characters, was broke.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • There’s a generous and an ungenerous reading of Carole Radziwill returning to RHONY.
    Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 4 May 2026
  • There’s an ungenerous and shallow way to look at this film as little more than a highlight reel of Hammer’s work, a paltry substitute for actually spending meaningful time with the work itself.
    Sam Bodrojan, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • Since then, it has been performed across much of the world, being ideally suited to these impecunious times and very masterfully written.
    Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2026
  • Cowley graduated in 1920, and for a year and a half lived an adventurous, impecunious Grub Street life in New York, before a fellowship took him, now married, back to France for a master’s in French.
    Michael Gorra, The Atlantic, 4 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Penurious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penurious. Accessed 14 May. 2026.

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