1
as in selfish
giving or sharing as little as possible
the company's penurious management could not be convinced of the need to earmark more money for research and development
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in impoverished
lacking money or material possessions
the most penurious members of the community are forced to depend on the services of the food bank
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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
-
And, in the context of wanting to grow up, being subject to another person’s selfish patterns is a pretty fundamental life experience.—
Deborah Treisman,
New Yorker,
4 May 2025
-
These people start out as aging narcissists with selfish intentions who try to navigate when each of them gets grounded in their own vulnerability.—
David L. Coddon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 May 2025
Adjective
-
Infectious disease experts note that the vitamin is most useful in impoverished countries where children are significantly malnourished.—
Katherine Dillinger,
CNN Money,
1 May 2025
-
Post-Civil War, however, the nation was tired, and large segments of the population—especially in the South—were impoverished.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The review process is careful for a reason – and perhaps the only real method of speeding it up is the one Zeldin has proposed: reassigning staff so there are more people to share the work.—
Jeffrey Gore,
The Conversation,
14 May 2025
-
Hillman and the department urged residents in the area to be extra careful this time of year.—
Brooke Baitinger,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 May 2025
Adjective
-
Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns each added 23 points and OG Anunoby bounced back from two poor performances by scoring 20 for the Knicks, who can win the series Wednesday night at Boston.—
Brian Mahoney,
Baltimore Sun,
13 May 2025
-
This results in a very poor Debt-to-Equity Ratio of 232.7% (against 21.5% for the S&P 500).—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
12 May 2025
Adjective
-
Conservatives, in their minds, are just always evil, mean, greedy, bad demons.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
16 May 2025
-
Here’s some truth that many women are not accustomed to hearing: wanting to be wealthy is not greedy.—
Melissa Houston,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2025
Adjective
-
Here's one: In 1 of every 4 large American cities, a family can earn six figures and still feel broke.—
Betty Lin-Fisher,
USA Today,
6 May 2025
-
But Michaels does not think, as some comedians claim, that woke broke comedy.—
Maureen Dowd,
New York Times,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
But, even though there was nothing the slightest bit ungracious or ungenerous about her performance, it was felt more like the audience being asked to come to her.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
26 Apr. 2025
-
Perhaps most perplexing about Smash, though, is its weirdly cynical, ungenerous take on the Bombshell herself.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Lillian Feldman was born to impecunious Jewish emigres in Cincinnati on July 13, 1927, the twelfth of thirteen children who were encouraged by their mother to draw on the walls.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
17 Oct. 2024
-
Among them is the sardonic confidant, St. Quentin; the down-at-the-heels military man, Major Brutt; and the impecunious, high-living chancer, Eddie.—
Washington Post,
Washington Post,
18 Nov. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Penurious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penurious. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share