chintzy

adjective

ˈchin(t)-sē 

chintzier; chintziest

1

: decorated with or as if with chintz

2

a

: gaudy, cheap

chintzy toys

b

: stingy

chintziness noun

Synonyms of chintzy

• cheap
• inexpensive
• reasonable
• affordable

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

That’s before Morgan steals a necklace from a chintzy gift shop run by a Turkish gangster named Yusuf, who proceeds to kidnap the pair, intimidate them at gunpoint, and threaten their family, forcing them to perform an array of odd jobs to make up for the petty theft. —Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 9 Apr. 2026

The word chintzy, meaning cheap or gaudy, first appears in a letter written by the English Victorian novelist George Eliot to her sister in 1851. —Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026

Wallpaper, wild and chintzy, would play a starring role—everywhere. —Wendy Goodman, Curbed, 7 Mar. 2026

Much of it seems pretty chintzy, and none of it really goes together. —Adam Ismail, The Drive, 18 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

chintzy

adjective

ˈchin(t)-sē 

chintzier; chintziest

1

: decorated with or as if with chintz

2

a

: not tasteful or stylish

b

: of low quality

3

: stingy

chintziness noun