stingy

adjective stin·gy \ ˈstin-jē \

|Updated on: 18 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: stingy in a Sentence

Definition of stingy

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

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stingily

play \ˈstin-jə-lē\ adverb

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stinginess

play \ˈstin-jē-nəs\ noun

See stingy defined for English-language learners

See stingy defined for kids

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

To achieve its low weight, Big Agnes used thin fabrics and light-duty #3 zippers, provided the bare minimum of interior floor space, and was stingy on guyline tensioners and the space of the door openings.

— andrew skurka, Outside Online, "Review: Big Agnes Tiger Wall Tents," 28 June 2018
Winning three games in three days — especially facing a Clemson team armed with an assortment of offensive weapons and the conference’s third stingiest defense — proved to be too steep a challenge on Thursday.

— julian benbow, BostonGlobe.com, "BC’s ACC run comes to an end with loss to Clemson," 8 Mar. 2018
As the stabilizing force for the NBA’s stingiest defense, Horford will command Defensive Player of the Year and All-Defensive team attention.

— ben golliver, SI.com, "The Crossover's 2018 NBA All-Star Game Starters," 17 Jan. 2018
Although that’s somewhat expected given his youth and his major offensive responsibilities, Phoenix has played stingier team defense with him on the bench during all three of his seasons.

— ben golliver, SI.com, "Grades: For the Suns, Signing Devin Booker to a Max Deal Was No-Brainer," 8 July 2018
Nissan’s experience shows what happens when manufacturers get stingier—a punishing decline in sales.

— sean mclain, WSJ, "U.S. Car Buyers to Japan: We Don’t Want Your Sedans Anymore," 2 May 2018
The show not only features a spinster schoolteacher but also plenty of personalities including an inept detective, a stingy restaurant owner, a spoiled niece and a doting cowboy suitor.

— jessi virtusio, Daily Southtown, "Audience assists in solving ‘Touchtone 'M' for Murder’ mystery in Orland Park," 6 July 2018
Led by goalie Rachel Hall, from Texas, with six saves, the stingy play early helped this become the lowest scoring game in the history of the girls All-America game.

— katherine dunn, baltimoresun.com, "Jenner's draw leads to Bakes' OT winner in South's 10-9 victory in girls Under Armour All-America Lacrosse Game," 1 July 2018
As someone who preaches fluid movement on offense and stingy defense, Brannen's long-term commitment provides stability for a program looking for a second-consecutive Horizon League regular season title.

— charlie hatch, Cincinnati.com, "John Brannen signs four-year NKU contract extension through 2021-22 season," 29 June 2018

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1659

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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.