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
  • Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 14 Feb. 2026
  • As with any sauce, be careful not to over-reduce.
    Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • Pilgrims also threw in coins as offerings, some later retrieved by impoverished people to survive.
    Norma Meyer, Oc Register, 4 Feb. 2026
  • The penultimate episode saw Deathclaws descending on Freeside, an impoverished community on the fringes of New Vegas.
    Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • Until crude vulgarians like Miller came along, no prominent American political figure would claim on our behalf a right to use our power for purely selfish ends, at the expense of other democratic states and foreign peoples.
    Bradley Gitz, Arkansas Online, 9 Feb. 2026
  • There are selfish motives as Hawk is also secretly trying to track down whoever is blackmailing him.
    Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • Semmann said stores raise prices primarily in response to supply chain issues, such as poor harvests, changes to international trade policy or increasing logistical costs.
    Francesca Pica, jsonline.com, 10 Feb. 2026
  • Boating conditions are poor across offshore waters south of Cape Canaveral, while small craft need to exercise caution near the inlets.
    Garfield Hylton, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • Unfortunately, buying a legitimate one to replace what’s been stolen can cost five, 10, or even 20 times that if your dealer’s service department is especially greedy, which is a big part of the problem here.
    Adam Ismail, The Drive, 5 Feb. 2026
  • Their false claims about getting financially fleeced by Uncle Sam were fueled by a rather sophisticated, albeit deceitful and shameful lobbying campaign, sponsored by greedy gadflies out to make a quick buck.
    Tom Margenau, Dallas Morning News, 1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • And Cannon — who played with the Houston Oilers, Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs — admitted to counterfeiting in the mid-1980s after a series of bad investments and debts left him broke.
    Seung Min Kim, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2026
  • But the problem wasn’t going away, and now Perardi was broke.
    Matthew Bremner, Rolling Stone, 11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • 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
  • Stars and billionaires are calling out the super-rich for being ungenerous As the world mints hundreds of thousands of millionaires yearly and billionaire wealth soars to record highs, some leaders can’t stand to stay quiet.
    Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • 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
  • 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

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Cite this Entry

“Penurious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penurious. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.

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