stingy

¹ American  

[stin-jee] / ˈstɪn dʒi /

adjective

stingier, stingiest

1. reluctant to give or spend; not generous; penurious.

   He's a stingy old miser.

   Synonyms:

   tight

   Antonyms:

   unselfish, liberal, generous

2. scanty or meager.

   a stingy little income.

   Synonyms:

   poor, paltry, sparse

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stingy ² American  

[sting-ee] / ˈstɪŋ i /

adjective

1. having a sting.

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stingy ¹ British  

/ ˈstɪndʒɪ /

adjective

1. unwilling to spend or give

2. insufficient or scanty

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stingy ² British  

/ ˈstɪŋɪ /

adjective

1. informal stinging or capable of stinging

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noun

1. dialect a stinging nettle

   I put my hand on a stingy

Related Words

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

• stingily adverb
• stinginess noun

Etymology

Origin of stingy¹

First recorded in 1650–60; perhaps derivative of sting; -y ¹

Origin of stingy²

First recorded in 1605–15; sting + -y ¹

Example Sentences

Oak Park’s boys’ soccer team is proving very stingy when it comes to giving up goals.

From Los Angeles Times

Palantir is too dependent on stingy government contracts and overly generous to its executives, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal

They have also boosted their dividends at a time when other companies have been stingier with their payouts.

From Barron's

But as boomer-age parents consider all these matters, it shouldn’t be perceived that they’re being cautious or even stingy with their savings, advisers say.

From MarketWatch

She said that I was stingy and mean, an outcast at life’s rich feast.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• frugal
• greedy
• miserly
• selfish
• thrifty