penny-wise
1
7.5
- adjective
- /ˈpɛni waɪz/
- Informal
:
ahorrador
- He was always penny-wise, refusing to spend even a little on necessities.
- penny-wise and pound-foolish
Examples
-
But there is no escaping the fact that CFOs and finance departments are usually, to use an English cliché, "penny wise and pound foolish."
Blog text (19) -
Your way is penny wise and pound foolish.
Blog text (9) -
In my opinion, this plan was penny wise and pound foolish.
Blog text (21) -
The man was penny wise and pound foolish.
Fiction book (1996) -
Penny wise, pound foolish.
Blog text (26) -
How much can be expected of a child born in a workhouse and brought up on the rates at the mercy of a penny-wise middle-class bureaucracy?
Academic text (2005) -
Being penny wise often leads people to overlook more significant financial mistakes.
-
If you are penny-wise, you might save small amounts but ignore larger expenses.
Synonyms
199
6.5
Not willing to spend money even when needed
31
4.9
Careful about spending money and not wasting things
26
5.2
Not willing to spend money or give help to others
10
4.4
Being careful with money and things to avoid wasting them
3
7.9
Not willing to spend or give money even when they have enough
2
9.9
A person who is unwilling to spend money and avoids buying things
1
7.5
Not willing to spend much money
1
8.0
A person who does not like to spend money
1
8.8
Not willing to spend money
1
9.9
Unwilling to spend money, even for small things
Careful with small amounts of money and everyday spending
Not willing to spend money even when they have it
Not willing to spend or give money
Not willing to spend or share money
Unwilling to give money or things
Antonyms
How Thrifty
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Penny-wise comes from the old saying 'penny wise, pound foolish' and joins penny ('small coin') with wise ('careful'). So, a penny-wise person is careful about small costs but may ignore bigger, more important spending, which can cause problems later.