penniless

adjective

pen·​ni·​less ˈpe-ni-ləs 

: destitute of money

Synonyms

• beggared
• beggarly
• broke
• destitute
• dirt-poor
• down-and-out
• famished
• hard up
• impecunious
• impoverished
• indigent
• necessitous
• needful
• needy
• pauperized
• penurious
• poor
• poverty-stricken
• skint [chiefly British]
• threadbare

Examples of penniless in a Sentence

She was unemployed and penniless.

went from being a penniless girl to owner of her own restaurant

Recent Examples on the Web

Harper and Ullman said the younger women sometimes looked after elderly, infirm or penniless prisoners. —Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 23 Jan. 2025

One follower gave the movement her life savings before dying of cancer, virtually penniless. —Michael Rothfeld, New York Times, 29 Dec. 2024

Will Smith stars as a penniless Anthony Ramos lookalike fish named Oscar, who wiles away his days scrubbing cetaceans’ tongues clean in the 'Whale Wash,' fantasizing about the good life. —Them, 23 Dec. 2024

Last December, New York City, Chicago and Denver pleaded for federal assistance to help house tens of thousands of migrants who had arrived penniless after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, bused them there from the border. —Lauren Villagran, USA TODAY, 9 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

penniless

adjective

pen·​ni·​less ˈpen-i-ləs 

ˈpen-ᵊl-əs

: having no money : very poor