Definition of STINGY

Examples of stingy in a Sentence

The company was too stingy to raise salaries.
until his redemption, Ebenezer Scrooge is the classic example of a very stingy, heartless miser

Recent Examples of stingy from the Web

Credit Rinne for coming through with a stingy performance and helping the Predators improve to 8-1 at home this postseason.

— ap, USA TODAY, "Preds rout Pens 5-1, pull within 2-1 in Stanley Cup Final", 3 June 2017
But Kulak (9-1) quickly settled in by limiting the damage to just the two runs, one earned, and got stingier as the game wore on.

— blake baumgartner, Naperville Sun, "Jack Rigoni rings up four hits as Neuqua Valley overpowers Plainfield East", 1 June 2017
Rinne went into the final with the stingiest numbers in net this postseason and a favorite to win the Conn Smythe trophy as postseason MVP.

— teresa m. walker, courant.com, "All-Star promise: Subban says Preds will win Game 3 vs. Pens", 1 June 2017
His goal was just the 10th allowed in 14 games by the league's stingiest defense.

— associated press, SI.com, "MLS roundup: Ford scores first MLS goal, Neagle scores penalty", 28 May 2017
The Predators have been by far the best defensive team, posting a stingy 1.81 goals against average, while the Penguins rank fifth, at 2.32.

— andrew knoll, New York Times, "N.H.L. Playoffs: What You’ll See in the Stanley Cup Finals", 28 May 2017
No playable sources found Loading 00:00 / 07:52 JR YEAR 48 Play Evangel has an elite defense and Baskerville quarterbacks the stingy unit.

— NOLA.com, "Updated 2018 Louisiana Nifty 50 rankings Nos. 10-6", 27 May 2017
A goal like Newfield’s — her first professional one, coming in her fourth start of the year — is just the right kind of goal to inspire a team that’s only managed to stay afloat in the standings because of a stingy defense.

— maria torres, kansascity, "On three-game unbeaten streak, FCKC hopes scoring becomes contagious in return to Swope", 26 May 2017
Although United Artists has been stingy in providing listings to Sidewalk and CitySearch directly, the chain hasn’t objected to plans for Sidewalk San Francisco to post UA information obtained elsewhere.

— mike tanner, WIRED, "UA Pulls Curtain on Web Site Show Times", 15 Feb. 1997

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'stingy'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of stingy

perhaps from English dialect *stinge, noun, sting; akin to Old English stingan to sting

First Known Use: 1659

stingy Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of stingy

stingy, close, niggardly, parsimonious, penurious, miserly mean being unwilling or showing unwillingness to share with others. stingy implies a marked lack of generosity. a stingy child, not given to sharing close suggests keeping a tight grip on one's money and possessions. folks who are very close when charity calls niggardly implies giving or spending the very smallest amount possible. the niggardly amount budgeted for the town library parsimonious suggests a frugality so extreme as to lead to stinginess. a parsimonious lifestyle notably lacking in luxuries penurious implies niggardliness that gives an appearance of actual poverty. the penurious eccentric bequeathed a fortune miserly suggests a sordid avariciousness and a morbid pleasure in hoarding. a miserly couple devoid of social conscience

stingy