stingy

adjective

stin·​gy ˈstin-jē 

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

ˈstin-jə-lē 

adverb

stinginess

ˈstin-jē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• miserly
• selfish
• greedy
• tightfisted
• parsimonious
• tight
• ungenerous
• cheap
• close
• pinching
• penurious
• mean
• chintzy
• careful
• uncharitable
• desirous

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

Yes, Jones did deliver a game-winning drive two weeks earlier against a stingy Denver Broncos defense, but that took place in more of a four-minute offense. —Jeff Howe, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025

The Chargers entered the game undefeated, and have been especially stingy on defense. —Mark Kern, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025

Their defense has been stingy while slowing down two dynamic quarterbacks in the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and the Raiders’ Geno Smith. —Elliott Teaford, Oc Register, 21 Sep. 2025

In wins over New Orleans and Carolina, Arizona has been stingy against the run, giving up 156 yards in two games with no run yielding more than 18 yards. —Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025

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

Rhymes for stingy

• dingy

Kids Definition

stingy

adjective

stin·​gy ˈstin-jē 

stingier; stingiest

1

: not generous : giving, using, or spending as little as possible

2

: scanty, meager

a stingy portion

stingily

-jə-lē 

adverb

stinginess

-jē-nəs 

noun