as in impoverished
lacking money or material possessions
went from being a penniless girl to owner of her own restaurant
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Recent Examples of penniless
Along with invisible, the assistant can also be penniless, powerless and a vulnerable target.
—
Victoria Bekiempis, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2024
This time, inspiration came from English writer H.G. Wells, whose sci-fi novel The Invisible Man — about a penniless researcher whose experiments in invisibility unlock a sadistic side to his personality — has become one of the all-time genre greats.
—Katie Rife, EW.com, 18 Oct. 2024
Venezuela’s generals would rather stay penniless but in power than step down and end up imprisoned.
—Laura Gamboa Gutiérrez, Foreign Affairs, 30 May 2019
About 18 months after finding over a million dollars in gold, they’re left penniless.
—Dina Kaur, The Arizona Republic, 10 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for penniless
Victoria Bekiempis, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2024
This time, inspiration came from English writer H.G. Wells, whose sci-fi novel The Invisible Man — about a penniless researcher whose experiments in invisibility unlock a sadistic side to his personality — has become one of the all-time genre greats.
—Katie Rife, EW.com, 18 Oct. 2024
Venezuela’s generals would rather stay penniless but in power than step down and end up imprisoned.
—Laura Gamboa Gutiérrez, Foreign Affairs, 30 May 2019
About 18 months after finding over a million dollars in gold, they’re left penniless.
—Dina Kaur, The Arizona Republic, 10 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for penniless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penniless
Adjective
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Numerous aid workers in northern Thailand described widespread panic and confusion following the sudden suspension of aid, especially among those whose work provides life-saving services to some of the world’s most vulnerable and impoverished people on both sides of the border.—
Ivan Watson,
CNN,
11 Feb. 2025
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Meanwhile, the sight of an unelected billionaire dismantling an agency that was set up to help the impoverished is already undermining faith in U.S. democracy.—
John Cassidy,
The New Yorker,
8 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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But shortly after its release, AT&T dropped the device’s price down to just $0.99 in what was an unmistakable sign of poor sales – and perhaps an indication that consumers didn’t want more Facebook on their phone other than in its app.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN,
17 Feb. 2025
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Cosgrove, a rookie revelation in 2023, is looking to bounce back after a poor 2024 season.—
Dennis Lin,
The Athletic,
17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Perhaps part of the problem was the downer premise: a broke Phyllis moves in with her San Francisco in-laws and struggles to find a job following the death of her dermatologist husband.—
Sara Netzley,
EW.com,
21 Dec. 2024
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Show creator Natasha Rothwell plays Mel, a broke JFK airport employee who has never been in love.—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
5 Feb. 2025
Articles Related to penniless
Cite this Entry
“Penniless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penniless. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
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