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
-
There’s a cast of wanderers, visionaries, and itinerants, the self-educated and self-published, a long lineage of cranks and outcasts, mostly penurious, always opinionated, stretching away into the mists of pseudohistory.—
Hari Kunzru,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Then the usually penurious Indians suddenly splurged.—
Chuck Murr,
Forbes.com,
19 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
There’s an ungenerous and shallow way to look at this film as little more than a highlight reel of Hammer’s work, a paltry substitute for actually spending meaningful time with the work itself.—
Sam Bodrojan,
IndieWire,
24 Jan. 2026
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Stars and billionaires are calling out the super-rich for being ungenerous As the world mints hundreds of thousands of millionaires yearly and billionaire wealth soars to record highs, some leaders can’t stand to stay quiet.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The financial rewards accrued from streaming and downloading have been parsimonious.—
Thomas Doherty,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Jerry Reinsdorf, who traditionally has been parsimonious with both the Bulls and the ChiSox, isn’t about to kick in another $116 million.—
Dan Freedman,
Forbes.com,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The latest Wilderness model will sport the most miserly powertrain of all the vehicles in that sub-brand, Subaru says.—
Marty Padgett,
The Drive,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Como had been neck-and-neck with Roma’s miserly backline before shipping four at Inter last Saturday, a chastening defeat that ended an unbeaten run stretching back to the end of August.—
Jack Bantock,
New York Times,
12 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Nevertheless, driving under the influence is a selfish and serious act.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Prioritizing your own physical and mental health isn’t selfish.—
Team Verywell Health,
Verywell Health,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Recall that Huffines unsuccessfully challenged Abbott in the 2022 GOP primary for governor and had some uncharitable things to say about him.—
John C. Moritz,
Austin American Statesman,
15 Feb. 2026
-
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
Adjective
-
Then the experimental concept of playing 6-9 Yaxel Lendeborg, 6-10 Morez Johnson and the 7-3 Mara on the floor together suddenly clicked against historically one of the nation’s stingiest defenses, and the Wolverines became an overnight juggernaut.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
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Arizona led for much of the early minutes, but Purdue’s shot-making and stingy defense flipped game.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Every year, a complacent, tightfisted city council turned down the recommendations.—
Margaret Talbot,
The New Yorker,
2 Oct. 2023
-
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 9 Apr. 2026.
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