skinflint

American  

[skin-flint] / ˈskɪnˌflɪnt /

noun

1. a mean, stingy person; miser.

   Synonyms:

   Scrooge, pinchpenny, hoarder

---

skinflint British  

/ ˈskɪnˌflɪnt /

noun

1. an ungenerous or niggardly person; miser

---

Other Word Forms

• skinflintily adverb
• skinflintiness noun
• skinflinty adjective

Etymology

Origin of skinflint

First recorded in 1690–1700; skin + flint

Explanation

A skinflint is someone who only shops at bargain stores, never orders dessert, and in general hates spending money. It's not a nice word, so if you're trying to compliment someone, better to call them "thrifty" or "frugal." A flint is a kind of rock that was used in the olden days to start a fire. If you didn't want to buy a new flint, you'd use an old one over and over again, "skinning" it — that is, wearing it down until it's as thin as skin. So someone who did that would be called a skinflint. It's another way of saying that someone will try to squeeze a penny out of anything.

Example Sentences

After a relationship marked by Turner being neat freak and a skinflint, they broke up after he shamed her for gaining 10 pounds.

From Salon • Dec. 2, 2023

To his admirers, Mr. O’Rahilly was a renegade visionary and a skinflint con man who sometimes liked to find creative ways to leave posh restaurants without paying for his meals.

From Washington Post • Apr. 24, 2020

The second is a series of apologies and excuses for a tax cheat, voyeur-sadist, bad son, skinflint, publicity hound, social climber, shopaholic.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2020

His James is the usual vain, dashing skinflint, yes.

From New York Times • May 13, 2018

“Now stop acting like a skinflint and let’s get the money.”

From "The Cricket in Times Square" by George Selden