scrooge
1 Americanverb (used with or without object)
noun
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Ebenezer a miserly curmudgeon in Dickens' Christmas Carol.
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(often lowercase) any miserly person.
noun
Etymology
Origin of Scrooge
1935–40, Scrooge for def. 2
Explanation
A scrooge is a person who is stingy with money: scrooges would rather do anything than part with a buck. The novels of Charles Dickens have contributed more than a dozen words that found their way into everyday language. Scrooge, the chief character from A Christmas Carol, is perhaps the best-known of them all. Like the character, a scrooge is a selfish person who doesn't like giving or spending. Scrooges keep a tight hold on every penny, even if they’re rich. You can also call a scrooge a miser or skinflint. Someone generous is the opposite of a scrooge.
Vocabulary lists containing scrooge
You Name It: Eponyms
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Scrooge, Grinch, and Churl: Wonderful Words for Unpleasant People
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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.
"There's a few out there who think I'm a bit of a scrooge but my friends think it's quite a good idea," she said.
From BBC • Dec. 22, 2022
"I wasn’t very much fun to be around. I was kind of a scrooge," he said.
From Fox News • Dec. 27, 2021
How can I politely decline without looking like a scrooge?
From Slate • May 12, 2020
I know we're starved for sports, and maybe I'm being a scrooge, but I cannot imagine this has any effect beyond making us even more acutely aware of what we can't see.
From Golf Digest • Apr. 6, 2020
You just bet my world is full of nice men, packed like sardines; but they'll all scrooge up a little and make room for you on the top layer among the selects!
From Michael O'Halloran by Stratton-Porter, Gene
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.
