penny-wise
Britishadjective
-
greatly concerned with saving small sums of money
-
careful about trifles but wasteful in large ventures
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
However, penny-wise, profit-driven developers want homes closer together on narrow streets that allow for more buildings.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 20, 2023
Ms Devlin added the move is a "penny-wise and pound-foolish approach to workforce".
From BBC • May 15, 2023
But the strategy is penny-wise, pound-foolish — not to mention cruel.
From Washington Post • Apr. 15, 2022
“Front-line corrections staff are concerned that closing state prisons will prove to be penny-wise and pound-foolish,” they said.
From Washington Times • Jan. 28, 2021
He is the penny-wise and pound-foolish individual, and his methods are "near enough."
From Grain and Chaff from an English Manor by Savory, Arthur H.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
