as in penurious
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Recent Examples of costive
In fact, their writings are more pungent now that they have been liberated from the costive confines of the movement.
—
Jacob Heilbrunn, The New Republic, 23 Jan. 2020
Movies coiled up in other movies have a habit of becoming either costive or cute, but somehow Falardeau avoids the traps.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 15 May 2017
Jacob Heilbrunn, The New Republic, 23 Jan. 2020
Movies coiled up in other movies have a habit of becoming either costive or cute, but somehow Falardeau avoids the traps.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 15 May 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for costive
Adjective
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But both are gone because neither could make magic of Sherman’s low-spending model that still includes the most penurious payroll in MLB in 2025.—
Greg Cote
July 16,
Miami Herald,
16 July 2025
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Even so, the general picture of a mother’s absence and a daughter’s understandable resentment at having had to pick up the maternal slack in penurious conditions comes through loud and clear.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Sep. 2024
Adjective
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At least with Derrick, the shallowness seems intentional, if ungenerous.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
13 June 2025
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But, even though there was nothing the slightest bit ungracious or ungenerous about her performance, it was felt more like the audience being asked to come to her.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
26 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Chelsea are famously parsimonious in the transfer market, after all.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
21 Aug. 2025
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Wimpy was a mild-mannered, soft-spoken, lazy, parsimonious, and utterly gluttonous hamburger-wolfing straight man to Popeye.—
Richard Lederer,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 July 2025
Adjective
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Depp will play the titular role of Ebenezer Scrooge, a misanthropic and miserly businessman in 19th century London who is visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future in an effort to save himself from an afterlife of torment.—
Adam B. Vary,
Variety,
23 Oct. 2025
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But if raising the minimum wage to $25 an hour would actually help all workers, why be so miserly about it?—
Adam Summers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
How selfish of Fred Warner, goodness gracious.—
Michael Nowels,
Mercury News,
20 Oct. 2025
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This is plainly and simply a selfish decision on his part.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The only way to get to that conclusion, however, is to make a lot of uncharitable assumptions about Kimmel’s thinking.—
Josef Adalian,
Vulture,
18 Sep. 2025
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That utilitarian descriptor may seem a bit uncharitable, but the fact is, the 2.0-liter, OHV inline-four is rugged, indefatigable and, making about 100 hp, sufficiently powerful to scoot the 2,100-pound roadster along at a nice pace.—
Robert Ross,
Robb Report,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Bobrovsky has been even stingier during Florida’s recent run to back-to-back titles, notching five shutouts over his past six playoff series.—
Julian McKenzie,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
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Cumdumpster, by contrast, was brusque, peremptory, and stingy with his scores, as if I’d been put on earth to curate pornography for him.—
Daniel Kolitz,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Every year, a complacent, tightfisted city council turned down the recommendations.—
Margaret Talbot,
The New Yorker,
2 Oct. 2023
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Kotick played the tightfisted owner of the Oakland A’s.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
31 May 2023
Cite this Entry
“Costive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/costive. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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