penny-wise
Britishadjective
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greatly concerned with saving small sums of money
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careful about trifles but wasteful in large ventures
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.
“Schools think about these institutional debts in a way that is very penny-wise and pound-foolish, and it’s preventing people from participating in the economy,” said Mike Pierce, executive director of Protect Borrowers.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 23, 2025
However, penny-wise, profit-driven developers want homes closer together on narrow streets that allow for more buildings.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 20, 2023
Ms Devlin added the move is a "penny-wise and pound-foolish approach to workforce".
From BBC • May 15, 2023
This is a case of being penny-wise and pound-foolish.
From Washington Post • May 25, 2022
This is the man that is penny-wise, and pound- foolish; this is he that loseth his good Sheep for a halfpennyworth of tarr; that loseth a soul for a little of the world.
From Life and Death of Mr. Badman by Bunyan, John
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.
