stingy

[ stin-jee ]

See synonyms for: stingy stingily stinginess on Thesaurus.com

adjective,stin·gi·er, stin·gi·est.

reluctant to give or spend; not generous; penurious: He's a stingy old miser.
scanty or meager: a stingy little income.

Origin of stingy

First recorded in 1650–60; perhaps derivative of sting; see -y¹

synonym study For stingy

1. Stingy, parsimonious, miserly, mean, close all mean reluctant to part with money or goods. Stingy, the most general of these terms, means unwilling to share, give, or spend possessions or money: children who are stingy with their toys; a stingy, grasping skinflint. Parsimonious describes an extreme stinginess arising from unusual or excessive frugality: a sternly parsimonious, penny-pinching existence. Miserly stresses a pathological pleasure in acquiring and hoarding money that is so powerful that even necessities are only grudgingly purchased: a wretched, miserly way of life. Mean suggests a small-minded, ignoble, petty stinginess leading to miserable, cheerless living: depressingly mean with his money; mean surroundings; a mean repast. Close implies extreme caution in spending money, even an aversion to spending: a close dealer, buying only at rock bottom prices; generous with advice, but very close with his money.

Other words for stingy

1	tight
2	sparse, paltry, poor

See synonyms for stingy on Thesaurus.com

Opposites for stingy

1	generous, liberal, unselfish

See antonyms for stingy on Thesaurus.com

Other words from stingy

stin·gi·ly, adverb
stin·gi·ness, noun

Words Nearby stingy

Other definitions for stingy (2 of 2)

stingy²

[ sting-ee ]

adjective

having a sting.

Origin of stingy

First recorded in 1605–15; sting + -y¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use stingy in a sentence

It is a small price to pay to punish the first player for being so stingy.
The U.S. Is Just Different — So Let’s Stop Pretending We’re Not (Ep. 469) | Stephen J. Dubner | July 15, 2021 | Freakonomics
When it was the dogs’ turn to offer food to their human partners, the canines were no more likely to press the button to provide food for the helpful human than for the stingy one.
Would dogs return the favor if you gave them treats? It’s complicated | Betsy Mason | July 14, 2021 | Science News
On the other end, he put up the seventh-best season in defensive RAPTOR, laying the foundation for the league’s second-stingiest defense overall.
Nobody Told Joel Embiid That Centers Don’t Dominate The NBA Anymore | Robert O'Connell | June 10, 2021 | FiveThirtyEight
Even with their newly potent offense, the Hawks will have their work cut out for them in a first round, as they match up with a stingy New York Knicks team that allowed the fewest points of any team this season.
The Atlanta Hawks Were Going Nowhere — Until Nate McMillan Became Their Coach | Andres Waters | May 21, 2021 | FiveThirtyEight
Like many of the walled gardens — all of which are known for being stingy with access to information — Twitter may be hesitant to provide the level of access necessary for MRC to conduct its audits.
Media Briefing: As Pride Month approaches, LGBTQ+ media companies are seeing last-minute growth in ad spend | Tim Peterson | May 20, 2021 | Digiday

His post-election press conference was too long, too provocative, and too stingy in his phoned-in praise for the winners.
Obama: Lamest Duck Ever? | Jonathan Alter | November 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The city is notoriously stingy with snow days, closing schools less than 10 times since 1978, including Friday.
After the Blizzard, 100 Million People Will Be Hit With Freezing Air From the North Pole | Eric Holthaus | January 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Any way you look at it, corporate America has been very stingy.
The SEC Can’t Make CEOs Care About Their Employees | Daniel Gross | September 19, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Tired of being a poster child for stingy salaries, Walmart snarkily takes a leading left-wing critic to task.
Walmart Calls Out The Nation for Its Low-Wage Internship Program | Anna Batchelor | August 7, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
John Paul Getty, Jr. was a major philanthropist, to a slew of causes, and he was not stingy.
The Getty Family Implosion | Anthony Haden-Guest | February 10, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
He smiled a little, in his stingy way of doing it, taking her hand to allay her tumult of distress.
The Flockmaster of Poison Creek | George W. Ogden
Let us rather remember that the Rev. Matthew Gibson was crazed, stingy withal, and had no child by his wife.
Adventures and Enthusiasms | E. V. Lucas
"It would be cruel to demand a large sum from that old and stingy man," remarked Le Glorieux.
The Court Jester | Cornelia Baker
"Since he knows so well how to make gold, I wonder why he is so stingy," whispered the jester to Antoine.
The Court Jester | Cornelia Baker
Kichibei, the eel-broiler, on finding this out, thought he would charge his stingy neighbor for the smell of his eels.
Japanese Fairy World | William Elliot Griffis

British Dictionary definitions for stingy (1 of 2)

stingy¹

/ (ˈstɪndʒɪ) /

adjective-gier or -giest

unwilling to spend or give
insufficient or scanty

Origin of stingy

C17 (perhaps in the sense: ill-tempered): perhaps from stinge, dialect variant of sting

Derived forms of stingy

stingily, adverb
stinginess, noun

British Dictionary definitions for stingy (2 of 2)

stingy²

/ (ˈstɪŋɪ) /

adjectivestingier or stingiest

informal stinging or capable of stinging

nounplural stingies

South Wales dialect a stinging nettle: I put my hand on a stingy

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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