penniless

Everyday

Having no money at all; very poor. tree →

In the lessons

In stories, a penniless character starts with nothing or loses everything: Toad escapes from prison penniless, without even his coat. In history lessons, many poor families were penniless in hard times. In maths problems, someone who spends all their money is left penniless: they have 0.

Examples

• He was penniless after losing his job. tree →
• Toad escaped from prison penniless. tree →
• The penniless orphan slept under a bridge. tree →
• They arrived in the new country penniless but hopeful. tree →
• She spent all her money and was left penniless: £0. tree →
• The penniless inventor later became rich. tree →

Note

From «penny» + «-less»: y changes to i. Opposite: rich, wealthy.