stingy

adjective

stin·​gy ˈstin-jē 

stingier; stingiest

1

: not generous or liberal : sparing or scant in using, giving, or spending

a stingy old miser

stingy with the salt

stingy employee benefits

2

: meanly scanty or small

served up stingy portions

stingily

ˈstin-jə-lē 

adverb

stinginess

ˈstin-jē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms of stingy

• 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

That’s going to happen from time to time against elite teams, and the Sharks have another one on tap Sunday in Raleigh, as the Hurricanes are one of the league’s stingiest in terms of allowing even-strength scoring chances. —Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 6 Dec. 2025

Mikal Bridges scored 35 points to lead New York, and Karl Anthony-Towns had 29, but Hugo Gonzalez’s stingy second-quarter defense against the latter tilted the game in Boston’s favor. —Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 3 Dec. 2025

Prescott completed 50 of 75 passes for 674 yards, four touchdowns (plus a rushing score) and two interceptions against two of the eight stingiest scoring defenses in the NFL. —Jeff Howe, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2025

Despite record holiday sales, however, other signs suggest consumers are getting a smaller bang for their buck because of rising inflation and stingier seasonal discounts. —Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 1 Dec. 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