GRE Set 32: Money Related Words

Parsimonious (a) SYN Stingy/ miserly/ prudent Parsimony (n)

extremely unwilling to spend money

Sybarite (n) SYN voluptuary Sybaritic (a)

it's either a person who could be described as addicted to pleasures and luxury (like a hedonist) or an actual person who lives in Sybaris.

Defray (v) SYN fund/ pay Defray costs/ expenses

to give somebody back the money that they have spent on something

Prodigal (a/n) SYN spendthrift, squandering Prodigal lifestyle/ son/ daughter Prodigality (n)

too willing to spend money or waste time, energy or materials

Profligate (a/n) SYN prodigal/ spendthrift/ reckless/ extravagant Profligate spending/ use Profligacy (n) Profligately (adv)

using money, time, materials, etc. in a careless way

Prodigious (a) SYN immense, inordinate, tremendous Prodigious amounts/ quantities of s.t Prodigiously (adv) Prodigy (n) Note: Prodigal (a)

very large or powerful and causing surprise or admiration

Mulct (n) SYN fine/ penalty Mulct (v) SYN penalize/ swindle/ punish/ defraud

A penalty such as a fine; To take (something) from another person by means of unseemly or deceptive methods.

Pittance (n) SYN small amount/ inadequate/ insufficiency Earn/be paid a pittance Work/ be sold for a pittance

A pittance is a tiny payment or small reimbursement for work — generally, an amount that's inadequate. The restaurant may pay you a pittance, but you can do well if you get a lot of good tips.

Avarice (n) SYN cupidity/ extreme greed Avaricious (a) Avariciously (adv)

Avarice is a fancy word for good old-fashioned greed. It's one of what some call "the seven deadly sins", as follows: lust/ gluttony/ greed/ laziness/ wrath/ envy/ pride

Insolvent (a) SYN indebted/ bankrupt/ financially ruined OPP solvent Insolvency (n)

Being insolvent isn't just about being poor. A person or business that's insolvent has no resources, no assets and no way to pay any of the bills. This adjective insolvent is a synonym for bankrupt, and surely the last thing anyone wants to be.

Impecunious (a) SYN penniless/ broke/ penurious Impecuniously (adv) Impecuniousness (n)

Impecunious comes from the old Latin word for money, pecunia, combined with the prefix im, meaning not or without. But impecunious doesn't just mean having no money. It means that you almost never have any money.

Thrifty (a) SYN Frugal/ miserly Economicalthriftily (adv) Thriftiness (n) thrift (n)

Note the similarity between the adjective thrifty and the verb thrive, and you'll realize that being careful with your money might be an important survival tactic.

Penurious (a) SYN stingy, cheap, miserly, frugal, parsimonious, thrifty Penury (n)

Penurious also means a general dislike of spending money. It's related to a similar word, penury, which means "a state of extreme poverty."

Underwrite (v) SYN Guarantee/ sponsor/ subsidize

To accept financial responsibility for an activity so that you will pay for special costs or for losses it may make

Fleece (v, n) SYN Cheat, defraud, swindle, rip-off

To take a lot of money from somebody by charging them too much; Some local shops have been fleecing tourists.

Dupe (v/ n) SYN swindle/ defraud Dupe s.o Dupe into doing s.o

To trick or cheat somebody; They soon realized they had been duped.

Affluent (a) SYN prosperous/ wealthy/ well-off Affluence (n)

You know you're driving through an affluent neighborhood when you see large houses, perfect landscaping, and expensive cars. Use affluent to describe wealthy people or areas.

Cupidity (n) SYN greed/ strong desire

a strong desire for more wealth, possessions, power, etc. than a person needs

Stipend (n) SYN payment/ salary/ allowance

an amount of money that is paid regularly to somebody, especially a priest, as wages or money to live on; The church pays him an annual stipend of $17 000.

Extravagant (a) SYN indulgent/ wasteful/ spendthrift/ prodigal/ imprudent/ reckless/ profligate Extravagantly (adv) Extravavance (n)

spending a lot more money or using a lot more of something than you can afford or than is necessary

Spendthrift (a, n) SYN waster/ prodigal/ spender

spending too much money, or wasting money