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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 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 The book looks beyond Appalachia, concluding the regions in question had been exploited by single industries and white elites, paying poor wages with equally penurious working conditions. Ken Silverstein, Forbes, 13 Aug. 2023 When his sports career petered out, Thorpe kept hustling to make an increasingly penurious living. Jim Higgins, Journal Sentinel, 4 Aug. 2022 See all Example Sentences for penurious 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penurious
Adjective
  • Pet peeves: Rude people, selfish people, mean people, people who tailgate/cut you off while driving.
    Dalton Ross, EW.com, 29 Jan. 2025
  • As detailed by Flourish Together, selfish behavior in relationships often manifests through unilateral decision-making, dismissive responses, and an expectation that one partner will cater to the other's needs without reciprocation.
    Joel Thayer, Newsweek, 27 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Like De Fontenay’s debut feature Mobile Homes, which followed an impoverished family scraping by in upstate New York, Sukkwan Island has a powerful immersive quality that makes up for some of its dramatic shortcomings, especially dialogue that can feel either stilted or too on-the-nose.
    Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Jan. 2025
  • The states that voted for Trump also tend to be more dependent on those federal funds and have more impoverished areas.
    Peter Greene, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Bass has employed a more careful and conciliatory tone.
    Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, 25 Jan. 2025
  • Leopold cautioned immigrants of any religious, national or ethnic background to be careful traveling.
    Pioneer Press, Chicago Tribune, 25 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Lopetegui was eventually sacked on January 8, having failed to fix West Ham’s poor form.
    Roshane Thomas, The Athletic, 5 Feb. 2025
  • Though Osbourne had a farewell tour set to begin in 2023, he was forced to cancel the shows due to poor health.
    Rosa Rahimi, CNN, 5 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • In his testimony earlier this month, former House Speaker Michael Madigan cast himself as a champion of the working class, a consensus-builder who used his power to bring people together on legislation and protect constituents from greedy utilities and corporations.
    Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 24 Jan. 2025
  • His heroes are often murderous vigilantes doling out death sentences to greedy politicians, officials and businessmen.
    Anupama Chopra, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Seeger invites the broke musician to stay on his couch and into the heart of his family and takes him under his wing.
    Lee Sharrock, Forbes, 19 Jan. 2025
  • About half of participants lost money, and 1 in 6 went broke.
    Ryan Ermey, CNBC, 13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • But neither can anyone seriously accuse the United States of being ungenerous with its citizens’ lives and treasure or of having no ideals.
    Joshua Landis, Foreign Affairs, 19 Jan. 2016
  • This is the problem with the show: These women are just concocting reasons why the people on the other side suck, and it’s become the most uncharitable, the most ungenerous thing on Bravo.
    Brian Moylan, Vulture, 15 July 2024
Adjective
  • Even the Kremlin’s own human rights council had denounced the charges as unwarranted, adding its voice to a chorus of support for Prokopyeva in what became a battle of wills between an impecunious local reporter and Russia’s powerful security apparatus.
    Andrew Higgins, BostonGlobe.com, 6 July 2020
  • His half-Danish father, Prince Andrew, second in line to the Greek throne, was sentenced to death after the army was defeated in Smyrna by the Turks, saved only by the intervention of George V. In 1930, after eight years of impecunious exile in Paris, the family dispersed.
    Moira Hodgson, WSJ, 4 Dec. 2020

Thesaurus Entries Near penurious

Cite this Entry

“Penurious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penurious. Accessed 8 Feb. 2025.

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