penniless
Americanadjective
adjective
Related Words
See poor.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of penniless
First recorded in 1275–1325, penniless is from the Middle English word peniles. See penny, -less
Explanation
Someone who's penniless is very poor — they barely have enough money to pay for basics like food and shelter. If you're penniless, it can be tempting to buy a lottery ticket — but your odds of winning are terrible. People who live without enough — either because they've lost a job, had other bad luck, or are experiencing a temporarily poor stage in their lives — can call themselves penniless. Some college students feel penniless, having only enough cash to buy used books for class and eating every meal in the dining hall. This early fourteenth century word comes from the sense of "without even a penny."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Penniless and homeless, Mezhevyi was at first relieved that the children were at least being cared for.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 29, 2023
Penniless when he immigrated to the United States from Armenia in 2004, Sargsyan settled in Glendale, home to a large Armenian diaspora.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 4, 2023
Penniless, Southworth returned to teaching, this time in the D.C. public schools.
From Washington Post • Mar. 2, 2016
Penniless, they stopped to work along the way, hoping to eventually earn enough to resume the trip.
From New York Times • Feb. 8, 2016
I was up in my room at college, studying about Peter the Hermit and Walter the Penniless for my history exam on the crusades the coming Monday, when the hall phone rang.
From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
