as in impoverished
lacking money or material possessions
went from being a penniless girl to owner of her own restaurant
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Examples Sentences
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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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Guatemala, a small, impoverished nation scarred by a brutal civil war, has a substantial undocumented population in the United States.—
Daniele Volpe,
New York Times,
21 Jan. 2025
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The workshop's initial mission was to provide a trade for widows and other impoverished Palestinian women.—
Lauren Frayer,
NPR,
18 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The Texans’ offensive line was mostly poor this season, unable to consistently protect Stroud.—
The Athletic NFL Staff,
The Athletic,
24 Jan. 2025
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Understand that poor sleep hygiene can negatively impact the quantity and quality of sleep.—
Dominique Fluker,
Essence,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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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
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About half of participants lost money, and 1 in 6 went broke.—
Ryan Ermey,
CNBC,
13 Jan. 2025
Articles Related to penniless
Thesaurus Entries Near penniless
Cite this Entry
“Penniless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penniless. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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