chintzier; chintziest
1
: decorated with or as if with chintz
2
a
: gaudy, cheap
chintzy toys
b
: stingy
chintziness noun

Examples of chintzy in a Sentence

The boss is chintzy about raises. for the party I want chintzy plates that we can throw away afterward
Recent Examples on the Web Large plastic panels below the arm rests on the doors feel chintzy, as do the slide-out cup holders and storage area below the center console. Steven Ewing, Ars Technica, 6 Nov. 2023 The wood trim looks and feels chintzy, the sunshades for the optional panoramic roof aren't power operated, and only the passenger-side second-row seat slides forward to allow third-row passengers in and out—a clear cost-cutting move that compromises convenience. Andrew Wendler, Car and Driver, 12 June 2023 The dialogue is packed with quippy nonsense that neither matches the chintzy style or manages to be clever enough to elevate it, amounting to little more than a conceptual cop-out that’s unfunny and unbalanced in both gameplay and tone. Brittany Vincent, Rolling Stone, 18 Apr. 2023 This subcompact feels solidly built, and material quality is mostly commensurate with its price, although the hard, shiny plastic dashtop panel looks chintzy, especially in the top-spec SEL models that go for more than $30,000. Mike Sutton, Car and Driver, 16 Nov. 2022 The old ways are always being contrasted with present-day American banality, with the encroachment of chintzy commercial culture even into the hinterlands. Will Stephenson, Harper’s Magazine , 13 Mar. 2023 The kit includes a moving joystick, three game cartridges that can be inserted into the system or into an '80s-brown storage rack, and other nostalgic touches—even the chintzy wood-grain texture on the front of the console has been lovingly re-created with Lego bricks. Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 19 July 2022 It’s underwritten yet over-stuffed with songs, and the production itself feels chintzy and airless. Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2021 There was no new music to be débuted, nor any theatrical hijinks or chintzy conceptual overlays. Carrie Battan, The New Yorker, 13 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chintzy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of chintzy was in 1851

Dictionary Entries Near chintzy

Cite this Entry

“Chintzy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chintzy. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

chintzy

adjective
chintzier; chintziest
1
: decorated with or as if with chintz
2
a
: not tasteful or stylish
b
: of low quality
3
: stingy
chintziness noun
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