as in miserly
giving or sharing as little as possible
a parsimonious woman who insists that charity begins—and ends—at home
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Recent Examples of parsimonious
But German defense outlays were notoriously parsimonious, and fast growth seemed improbable.
—
Gerry Doyle, Bloomberg, 27 Jan. 2026
The eye, though, is much more parsimonious, focusing its attention only on a small part of the visual scene at any one time—namely, the part of the scene that changes, like the fluttering of a leaf or a golf ball splashing into water.
—Christoph Posch, IEEE Spectrum, 26 Nov. 2025
California voters acted with urgency, but implementation efforts have been met with petulance and parsimonious budgetary support that is barely one fourth of what is needed.
—Steve Smith, Oc Register, 18 Nov. 2025
Chelsea are famously parsimonious in the transfer market, after all.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for parsimonious
Gerry Doyle, Bloomberg, 27 Jan. 2026
The eye, though, is much more parsimonious, focusing its attention only on a small part of the visual scene at any one time—namely, the part of the scene that changes, like the fluttering of a leaf or a golf ball splashing into water.
—Christoph Posch, IEEE Spectrum, 26 Nov. 2025
California voters acted with urgency, but implementation efforts have been met with petulance and parsimonious budgetary support that is barely one fourth of what is needed.
—Steve Smith, Oc Register, 18 Nov. 2025
Chelsea are famously parsimonious in the transfer market, after all.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for parsimonious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parsimonious
Adjective
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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
-
Ordinary humans like Stephen’s selfish boss are depicted as giant walking eggs, while others are proportioned like bobble heads.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Terms like gaman—spelled with the kanji 我 (ego, I, selfish, our, oneself) and 慢 (ridicule, laziness)—are proof of this, as are the kigo terms that describe the emotions of the changing seasons, like kachōfūgetsu—composed of the kanji 花 (flower), 鳥 (bird), 風 (wind), and月(moon).—
Caleb Jacobs,
The Drive,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The first time, Julian’s children (James Corden, Jessica Gunning) seemed like miserable, greedy wretches.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
11 Apr. 2026
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But whether or not the good are rewarded, the greedy get their comeuppance, or old creative sparks are rekindled soon become beside the point.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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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
Adjective
-
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch denounced a sustained crackdown on dissent under Talon, citing arbitrary detentions, tighter restrictions on public demonstrations and mounting pressure on independent media outlets.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2026
-
The pope arrived at the ruins in a rainstorm and with tight security, with sharpshooters positioned around the site and police officers stationed every few yards along roads leading to it.—
Nicole Winfield,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Michigan made only two three-pointers all night but still muscled its way to a 69-63 victory over stingy, stubborn Connecticut.—
Senior Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
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The Fullerton softball team fell victim to the long ball and a stingy pitcher for Norco in the championship game of the Michelle Carew Classic on Saturday at Peralta Park.—
Lou Ponsi,
Oc Register,
5 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
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Then the usually penurious Indians suddenly splurged.—
Chuck Murr,
Forbes.com,
19 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Parsimonious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parsimonious. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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