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
“Front-line corrections staff are concerned that closing state prisons will prove to be penny-wise and pound-foolish,” they said.
From Washington Times ● Jan. 28, 2021
It was an avarice which thwarted itself, a penny-wise and pound- foolish cupidity.
From Critical and Historical Essays — Volume 1 by Macaulay, Thomas Babington Macaulay, Baron
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.
