Penniless

Quick meaning: Penniless is an adjective meaning (figuratively) Lacking even the smallest amount of money.

Meaning

(figuratively) Lacking even the smallest amount of money.

More Meanings

1. (numismatics, banking) 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).

Example Sentences

In societies without national insurance of any kind, almshouses are the last refuge of penniless people.

A dollar and a quarter seems a small sum, but if you are absolutely penniless it might as well be a thousand.

Canada became a penniless country in 2013 simply by rounding its cash transactions to the nearest nickel but otherwise not changing anything.

In a functioning digital economy, being cashless is far different from being penniless, because cash is merely one form of money; but some preppers hoard gold in case the system gets destroyed and cashlessness suddenly becomes pennilessness.

Word Forms

• pennyless

Synonyms for penniless

Depending on context, synonyms include farthingless, moneyless, destitute, nillionaire, almsless, arm.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include impecunious, poor, penurious, pinched, powerless, helpless.

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