stingy

adjective

stin·​gy ˈstin-jē How to pronounce stingy (audio)
stingier; stingiest
1
: not generous or liberal : sparing or scant in using, giving, or spending
stingy with the salt
stingy employee benefits
2
: meanly scanty or small
stingy portions of meat
stingily adverb
stinginess noun
Choose the Right Synonym for 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

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 on the Web In rehearsals of the Shostakovich, for instance, the basses were instructed to slice a bit harder and bow a bit more quickly — a move that almost surmounted the hall’s comparably stingy lows. Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024 What’s more, high borrowing costs are making banks more stingy about their lending decisions, with lending conditions today similar to those in the aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis and the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Summers. Irina Ivanova, Fortune, 27 Feb. 2024 Entering Tuesday with the NBA’s stingiest scoring defense and tied for the Western Conference’s best record, the Timberwolves jumped out to a huge lead as the Bulls missed their first nine 3-point attempts. James Fegan, USA TODAY, 7 Feb. 2024 The colorful anemonefish–aka clownfish–that call the carnivorous and stingy anemones on coral reefs home have a happy and carefree reputation among humans. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 1 Feb. 2024 But the Ravens were just as stingy against big plays and much better at creating takeaways. Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 26 Jan. 2024 The Eagles used a balanced scoring attack and a stingy defense to beat San Diego Jewish Academy and capture the first CIF championship in program history. San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Feb. 2024 Advertisement But things didn’t work out for the Clippers, who couldn’t overcome the Timberwolves’ stingy defense in a 121-100 loss Monday at Crypto.com Arena. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 2024 Garrett was the cornerstone of the NFL's stingiest defense, allowing a league-low 270.2 yards per game. Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA TODAY, 9 Feb. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1659, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of stingy was in 1659

Dictionary Entries Near stingy

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

stingy

adjective
stin·​gy ˈstin-jē How to pronounce stingy (audio)
stingier; stingiest
1
: not generous : giving, using, or spending as little as possible
2
: scanty, meager
a stingy portion
stingily adverb
stinginess noun

More from Merriam-Webster on stingy

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