English Explanatory Dictionary

penniless

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Lacking even the smallest amount of money.
  2. Of a country's system of money, abstaining from the use of penny coins, despite having fully decimalized currency, by means of rounding of cash transactions (but not necessarily of cashless ones).

Pronunciation

/ˈpɛ.nɪ.ləs/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-penniless.wav LL-Q1860 (eng)-Sapaa-penniless.wav

Word forms

penniless pennyless

Etymology

From Middle English penyles, penylees; equivalent to penny + -less. Compare Old Norse penningalauss (“penniless”).

Synonyms

farthingless moneyless destitute nillionaire almsless arm badly off bankrupt beggared beggarly boracic broke broken broker than the Ten Commandments depauperate dirt poor disadvantaged down and out down at heel down on one's luck down on one's uppers empty-handed feeling the pinch flat goodless hard up impecunious impoverished in need indigent insolvent lower-class necessitous needy oofless pauperized penniless penurious pinched pok kai poor poor as a church mouse poor as a rat poor as Job possessionless poverty-ridden poverty-stricken shillingless skint stone-broke stony-broke strapped stuck threadbare unwealthy wealthless

Derived words

penniless-bench pennilessly pennilessness
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