After the bank failure wiped out his savings, the inventor found himself penniless but still determined to complete his prototype.
银行倒闭耗尽了他的积蓄后，这位发明家发现自己身无分文，但仍决心完成他的原型。
Which choice best defines “penniless”?
D — Having no money. “penniless” means having no money.
Which word means “having no money”?
A — penniless. “penniless” means having no money.
penniless — having no money. In Chinese: 身无分文的.
penniless is pronounced /ˈpɛnɪləs/.
After the bank failure wiped out his savings, the inventor found himself penniless but still determined to complete his prototype. (银行倒闭耗尽了他的积蓄后，这位发明家发现自己身无分文，但仍决心完成他的原型。)
destitute, impoverished, poverty-stricken — all close in meaning to penniless (having no money).
wealthy, affluent — each the opposite of penniless (having no money).
Yes. penniless is on the SAT Prep Basic list — the everyday academic words the SAT assumes you already have. The Digital SAT does not test vocabulary in isolation; words like this one are tested through Words in Context questions, where you choose the word that completes a passage most logically and precisely.