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

When the Lakers extended their lead to 21 points in the third quarter, they did so, in part, by playing stingy defense.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 8, 2026

In terms of allowing opponents into their own 22, Scotland were stingy and ranked first, the problem being that they conceded way too often - 40% of visits ended with a try for their rivals.

From BBC • Feb. 6, 2026

One likely reason for Columbia’s stingy valuation—analysts expect profits to grow just 2% in 2026, although that should accelerate to 8.6% in 2027.

From Barron's • Jan. 14, 2026

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 • Dec. 16, 2025

Even the stingy vendor left his fruit stand to stare at it in awe.

From "Where the Mountain Meets the Moon" by Grace Lin

Related Words

• frugal
• greedy
• miserly
• selfish
• thrifty