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

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

Saltburn’s near-contemporary setting, however, didn’t really suit Fennell’s unsubtle storytelling approach; the entire ensemble seemed cartoonish, their fancy trappings chintzy and fake. —David Sims, The Atlantic, 9 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