stingy
1 American
adjective
-
stingier,
comparative
-
stingiest
superlative
adjective
-
unwilling to spend or give
-
insufficient or scanty
adjective
noun
Synonym Usage
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 Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of stingy1
First recorded in 1650–60; perhaps derivative of sting; see -y 1
Origin of stingy2
Explanation
If you are looking to describe someone with a Scrooge- or Grinch-like tendency to pinch his pennies, then stingy can be your adjective of choice. Or, if you are looking to describe something you have too little of — like a 43-second coffee break — you can use stingy as well. The adjective stingy (pronounced with a soft "g") is likely derived from the adjective stingy (pronounced with a hard "g"), which means "biting, sharp, or stinging." Although stingy is usually used to describe an ungenerous or miserly person, stingy can also be used to describe a larger entity: "People were no longer able to buy homes due to the stingy lending policies of the banks."
Vocabulary lists containing stingy
Unit 1: Telling Details
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The Watsons Go to Birmingham
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Where the Red Fern Grows
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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.
See Examples For:
“Definitely turning the ball over, clean that up. Being stingy with the ball, being able to get the ball in playmakers’ hands and just continue to stay on the same page and move as one.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
Those on big wages not paying their way may seem stingy.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
Up against a Paraguayan squad known for its stingy defense, Pulisic was double-teamed on the left side when he flicked the ball ahead and raced past them into the box.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026
Companies have bought back gobs of stock while turning stingy on dividends—they like that buybacks don’t require an ongoing commitment.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
Even the stingy vendor left his fruit stand to stare at it in awe.
From "Where the Mountain Meets the Moon" by Grace Lin
They got stingier on third down — 106th nationally to 21st — and in the red zone — 119th to 69th.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 1, 2026
They have also boosted their dividends at a time when other companies have been stingier with their payouts.
From Barron's ● Dec. 24, 2025
That’s because the charitable deduction is getting slightly stingier next year for wealthy households that itemize.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2025
The stocks of companies that invested the most no longer fell behind those of stingier companies, but didn’t beat them by much either.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2025
“Or maybe they got rich by being stingier, so they’ll pay less,” Muthu said.
From "The Bridge Home" by Padma Venkatraman
The Colorado Avalanche rode swagger, poise and the league’s stingiest goaltender to the best record in the NHL this season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2026
And the defense morphed into the stingiest unit in the entire sport.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2026
Goods were auctioned off for a fraction of their value, and owners sometimes took even the stingiest offers just to realize some cash.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 31, 2025
The Titans came in with the NFL’s stingiest unit inside the red zone, allowing TDs on only 37.25% of such drives.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 25, 2023
Whose whims had been taken seriously by adults and who grew up to be the stingiest, greediest people on earth and out of their stinginess grew their stingy little love that ate everything in sight.
From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison
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.
