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 The drugstore industry has problems, including stingier reimbursement from insurers on drug sales, competition from online retailers, Walmart and Target, and a rise in merchandise theft. John Dorfman, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024 Featuring the top two stingiest scoring defenses in the NFL, Sunday’s game (10 a.m. PDT, Ch. 2) is likely to be a slugfest. Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2024 With just three weeks on the books, NFL defenses are now giving up a stingy 21.2 points per game, down 6% from the year-ago 22.5 and off another 10% versus 23.6 points just three years ago. Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 27 Sep. 2024 That kind of stingy funding was never going to be adequate, and the price is only likely to rise. Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 25 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for stingy 

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 31 Oct. 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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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