Synonyms of penurious
85 similar words · 21 opposite words
Another word for penurious is poor. Other synonyms of penurious are mean, miserly, parsimonious, niggardly and bankrupt. The opposite of penurious is rich.
Synonyms and similar words for penurious
adjectiveMiserly; excessively cheap.
- cheap
- cheeseparingNiggardly, stingy.
- chintzyExcessively reluctant to spend; miserly, stingy.
- close
- close as waxMiserly, tight, or secretive.
- close-fistedTight-fisted, stingy.
- illiberal
- meanUngenerous; stingy; tight-fisted.
- miserlyLike a miser, very or objectionably cautious with money.
- narrow-fistedSynonym of tight-fisted (“miserly, stingy”).
- niggardlyWithholding for the sake of meanness; stingy, miserly.
- nipcheeseSynonym of miserly.
- parsimoniousExhibiting parsimony; sparing in the expenditure of money; frugal, possibly to excess.
- peddlingInsignificant; unimportant; piddling.
- penny-wiseThrifty in regards to small amounts of money.
- penny-pinchingReluctant to spend money; close-fisted.
- scrooge-likeLike a scrooge in being miserly, tight-fisted, and a kill-joy.
- scrubby
- shabbyOf a person, their behaviour, etc.: despicable, mean; also, not generous; stingy, tight-fisted.
- still got one's communion moneyStingy, frugal.
- stingy
- swear British, dialectalNiggardly.
- tight
- tight-fistedReluctant to spend money; miserly or stingy.
- tight as a tick
- ungenerousNot generous; stingy.
- ungivingNot giving; ungenerous.
- as tight as Dick's hatband dated
- miserable obsoleteAvaricious; niggardly; miserly.
- tighter than Dick's hatband dated
adjectiveImpoverished; wanting for money.
- almslessNot having any alms; impoverished.
- arm
- badly offIn unfortunate circumstances, especially having financial difficulty.
- bankruptIn a condition of bankruptcy; unable to pay outstanding debts or meet financial obligations; specifically, having been...
- beggaredPoor; empoverished.
- beggarly
- boracic
- brokeWithout any money, penniless.
- brokenHaving no money; bankrupt, broke.
- broker than the Ten CommandmentsExtremely impoverished.
- destituteLacking money, poor, impoverished; especially, extremely so.
- dirt poor
- disadvantaged
- down and outIn a condition of poverty or debility, especially as a result of experiencing a financial or personal setback.
- down at heel
- down on one's luckUnlucky or undergoing a period of bad luck, especially with respect to financial matters.
- down on one's uppersImpecunious, lacking money.
- empty-handed
- farthinglessWithout a farthing; very poor.
- feeling the pinch
- flat
- goodlessWithout goods or property; destitute.
- hard upLacking money; impecunious; in financial difficulties.
- impecuniousLacking money.
- impoverished
- in need
- indigentPoor; destitute; in need.
- insolvent
- lower-class
- moneylessHaving no (or very little) money.
- necessitous
- needy
- pauperized
- pennilessLacking even the smallest amount of money.
- pinched
- pok kai slangHaving no money; broke; bankrupt.
- poorWith no or few possessions or money, particularly in relation to contemporaries who do have them.
- poor as a church mouseVery poor, to the point of starving or begging; utterly destitute.
- poor as a ratSynonym of poor as a church mouse.
- poor as JobExtremely poor, destitute.
- possessionlessWithout possessions.
- poverty-ridden
- poverty-strickenVery poor.
- shillinglessWithout a shilling; broke.
- skint
- stone-broke
- stony-broke
- strapped
- unwealthyNot wealthy.
- wealthlessHaving little or no wealth; poor.
- depauperate obsolete
- groatless archaic, rareWithout a groat; very poor.
- oofless UK, datedShort of money; poor.
- stuck archaic, slangIn the situation of having no money.
- threadbare archaic, obsoleteOf a person: wearing clothes of threadbare (sense 1) material; hence, impoverished, poor.
Opposite of penurious
adjectiveImpoverished; wanting for money.
- bow-legged wi' brass humorousWealthy; having lots of money.
- comfortably offReasonably wealthy; well off.
- filthy richVery rich (wealthy).
- loaded
- fat
- minted British, Ireland
- moneyedAffluent, rich.
- moneybagsA wealthy person.
- of meansPossessing significant wealth, especially as suggesting social standing.
- richWealthy: having a lot of money and possessions.
- rich as CroesusVery wealthy.
- rolling
- rolling in doughSynonym of rolling in it (“rich”).
- rolling in it
- upper crust
- wealthy
- well-endowed
- well-heeledAffluent, prosperous, or even (of the highest degree) rich.
- well offOf a person: in fortunate circumstances, especially having financial security, at any level from intermediate...
- well-to-doRich, prosperous, financially stable and comfortable.
- oofy UK, datedHaving lots of money rich, wealthy.
Meaning of penurious
- adjective Miserly; excessively cheap.
- adjective Not bountiful; thin; scant.
- adjective Impoverished; wanting for money.
penurious in other languages
Questions about synonyms of penurious
- What is another word for penurious?
- Penurious has 85 synonyms on Word.ws, such as poor, mean, miserly, parsimonious, niggardly, bankrupt, poverty-stricken and indigent.
- What is the opposite of penurious?
- The opposite of penurious is rich. Other antonyms of penurious are moneyed and well-to-do.
- What does penurious mean?
- Penurious means miserly; excessively cheap.
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: penurious (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this page: “Synonyms of penurious.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/penurious. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.