Synonyms for penniless
- adjective
Most common
All synonyms
Adjective
1. Destitute — lacking even the smallest amount of money
destitute, poor, impecunious, impoverished, insolvent, indigent, needy, bankrupt, cash-strapped, pinched, broke informal, hard up, stony, moneyless, penurious, cashless, necessitous, farthingless, poverty-stricken, strapped, beggarly, beggared
Definitions
- adj. 1
Lacking even the smallest amount of money.
In societies without national insurance of any kind, almshouses are the last refuge of penniless people.
Related words
- Word family
- pennilessness
Example sentences
- impoverished The war lasting for years impoverished the country.
- destitute It was there that this destitute child was born.
- insolvent When it comes to the crunch, our company will become insolvent.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| penniless | rising | |
| impoverished | rising | |
| destitute | steady | |
| insolvent | steady | |
| impecunious | steady |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 4 letters
- poor1
- 5 letters
- broke1, needy2, stony2
- 7 letters
- pinched1
- 8 letters
- bankrupt2, strapped1, indigent3, cashless2, beggarly, beggared
- 9 letters
- destitute3, insolvent3, moneyless3, penurious4
- 11 letters
- impecunious, necessitous
- 12 letters
- impoverished3, farthingless
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (needy2 = 2 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- désargenté
- Español
- pelado