parsimonious

[pahr-suh-moh-nee-uhs]

adjective

1. characterized by or showing parsimony; frugal or stingy.

   Synonyms: covetous, avaricious, penurious, mean, illiberal, miserly, close, tight
   Antonyms: generous

Other Word Forms

• parsimoniously adverb
• parsimoniousness noun
• unparsimonious adjective
• unparsimoniously adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of parsimonious¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; parsimon(y) + -ious

Synonym Study

See stingy ¹.

Example Sentences

Advisers can try to reason with a parsimonious client.

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Mills was parsimonious while also accounting for Originals' three most dangerous batters.

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The Trump administration has been oddly parsimonious about providing one of its patented pithy catchphrases for what we’re being liberated from.

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He ran the theater with love and a parsimonious budget, meaning that the ticket salesperson sometimes also ran the snack stand and tended the projector.

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But considered as a hypothesis or a thought experiment, it’s a parsimonious explanation of why Assad’s government collapsed so quickly and when it happened, barely a month before Trump takes office.

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