chinchy

American

[chin-chee] / ˈtʃɪn tʃi /

adjective

Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S.

chinchier, chinchiest

stingy; miserly; cheap.

Etymology

Origin of chinchy

1400–50; late Middle English, derivative of chinche (noun and adj.) < Old French chinche, chiche < Vulgar Latin *ciccus for Latin ciccum a bagatelle; see -y ¹

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.

See Examples For:

chinchy chinchiest

Communicator Alan Shepard had kidded Cooper: "You're getting kind of chinchy on using this fuel up there."

From Time Magazine Archive

Jacqueline Kennedy instructed West to run the house as he would "for the chinchiest President ever elected."

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023