penny-pinching 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of penny-pinchingnext
as in careful
giving or sharing as little as possible the new CEO's penny-pinching ways have helped to keep the company out of bankruptcy

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

penny-pinching

2 of 2

noun

ˈpe-nē-ˌpin-chiŋ How to pronounce penny-pinching (audio)
1
as in saving
careful management of material resources they'll have to practice some penny-pinching if they want to save for a house

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in economy
the quality or practice of being overly sparing with money reusing your tea bags is perhaps taking penny-pinching too far

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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 penny-pinching
Noun
The penny-pinching paid off in 2023, when Berry bought her two-bedroom, one-bath home in Charleston, Tennessee, a small town about 45 miles outside of Chattanooga. — Alex Veiga, Fortune, 20 May 2026 But for now, penny-pinching can be accomplished with relatively inconsequential basketball moves. — Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2026 Some of these treats date as far back as the 1700s, while others were developed during the penny-pinching of the Great Depression or the liveliness of the 1950s. — Mack Swenson, Southern Living, 4 Dec. 2025 Everton have spent around £90million ($122m) so far this summer, a considerable departure from the days of penny-pinching towards the end of former owner Farhad Moshiri’s tenure. — Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penny-pinching
  1. careful
  2. saving
  3. economy
  4. selfish
  5. frugality
  6. economizing
  7. miserly
  8. thrift
Adjective
  • When an accident brings the enigmatic Gaia into their lives, unexpected desires begin to take shape, unsettling the careful balance that has long defined their relationship.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 9 July 2026
  • Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.
    — CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 8 July 2026
Definition of careful
Noun
  • Studies on the psychology of saving have found attaching tangible milestones to financial planning, such as a goal to buy a home, tend to instill better savings habits in young people.
    — Tristan Bove, Fortune, 30 June 2026
  • The remaining 30% is reserved for improving your financial future through saving, investing or paying down debt.
    — Faith Wakefield, USA Today, 23 June 2026
Definition of saving
Noun
  • The spiritual economy is not necessarily about outright faith, but rather ritual, emotion and a sense of agency.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 8 July 2026
  • Budget-conscious travelers may notice a widening gap between the back of the plane and up front as the carriers increasingly build their businesses around selling first-class, business-class and premium-economy seats.
    — Rio Yamat, Fortune, 7 July 2026
Definition of economy
Adjective
  • Unlike Reborn Rich, Reborn Rookie is a comedy, finding a fair amount of fun in the story of a CEO who accidentally swaps bodies with a young soccer player, and uses the opportunity to get revenge on his selfish children.
    — Kayti Burt, Time, 6 July 2026
  • Across 15 tracks, the rapper and producer get to work making their first proper body of work together as memorable as expected, delving into relationship mishaps, selfish tendencies, and the absurdist comedy that is real life.
    — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 25 June 2026
Definition of selfish
Noun
  • Jerry Brown left seminary before becoming a priest but made his Jesuit education central to his political identity — especially his frugality, environmentalism and preference for rehabilitation over incarceration.
    — Joe Mathews, Mercury News, 18 June 2026
  • Kacey Musgraves’s twisting catalogue cruises through country, folk, pop, soul, and disco in search of multifaceted frugality.
    — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 7 May 2026
Definition of frugality
Noun
  • Inflation continues to pressure consumers The holiday economizing comes as Americans continue to battle inflation, which rose after the COVID-19 pandemic to levels not seen since the 1980s.
    — Alexander Coolidge, Cincinnati Enquirer, 11 Nov. 2025
Definition of economizing
Adjective
  • Koenig’s former Yankees teammates were contemptuous of that miserly decision.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 June 2026
  • Player sales have generated big cash but miserly profits this season.
    — David Ornstein, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2026
Definition of miserly
Noun
  • Last year’s grants paid for things like job skills training aimed at retaining nonprofit employees, specialized accounting services and a marketing program for thrift stores.
    — Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 10 July 2026
  • The once-thriving outlet mall now features only a single thrift store.
    — Brittney Melton, NPR, 9 July 2026
Definition of thrift

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penny-pinchers
penny-pinching
penny-wise
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Cite this Entry

“Penny-pinching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penny-pinching. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

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