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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective stingy contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of stingy are close, miserly, niggardly, parsimonious, and penurious. While all these words mean "being unwilling or showing unwillingness to share with others," stingy implies a marked lack of generosity.

a stingy child, not given to sharing

When could close be used to replace stingy?

The words close and stingy can be used in similar contexts, but close suggests keeping a tight grip on one's money and possessions.

folks who are very close when charity calls

When might miserly be a better fit than stingy?

The words miserly and stingy are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, miserly suggests a sordid avariciousness and a morbid pleasure in hoarding.

a miserly couple devoid of social conscience

When is niggardly a more appropriate choice than stingy?

In some situations, the words niggardly and stingy are roughly equivalent. However, niggardly implies giving or spending the very smallest amount possible.

the niggardly amount budgeted for the town library

When would parsimonious be a good substitute for stingy?

While the synonyms parsimonious and stingy are close in meaning, parsimonious suggests a frugality so extreme as to lead to stinginess.

a parsimonious lifestyle notably lacking in luxuries

Where would penurious be a reasonable alternative to stingy?

While in some cases nearly identical to stingy, penurious implies niggardliness that gives an appearance of actual poverty.

the penurious eccentric bequeathed a fortune

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of stingy Meanwhile, Golden State’s defense remained stingy while the rest of the offense tried to find its way. Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 5 May 2025 Behind a stingy defensive performance, the Valkyries defeated the Storm 76-70 on Saturday to win their third straight game. Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 14 June 2025 Nationally, the stingiest bosses were in Louisiana, who gave only 2.8% raises late last year. Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 6 June 2025 With the margin for error thin, the Mets need a stingy defense, and Baty has started seven of the last 10 games at third base. Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 28 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for stingy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stingy
Adjective
  • The miserly email account offerings are particularly limiting for larger ventures, and unusual for the category which typically offers unlimited email.
    PC Magazine, PC Magazine, 16 June 2025
  • The Athletics, despite their miserly ways, have a strong foundation of young players — Silver Slugger Brent Rooker, Lawrence Butler, Jacob Wilson, JJ Bleday, Shea Langeliers, Zack Gelof, and this year’s #4 pick in the draft, Nick Kurtz.
    Dan Freedman, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Berrios, Cracraft and Dubose were sparse contributors last season because of injuries and the fact Malik Washington emerged as Miami’s slot receiver and primary returner.
    Omar Kelly July 11, Miami Herald, 11 July 2025
  • At a tournament where much of the focus has been on sparse attendances, Madrid have got bigger crowds than anyone, drawing an average of 67,247.
    James Horncastle, New York Times, 9 July 2025
Adjective
  • Her larger-than-life ego and past as a shaman make Player 044 come off as arrogant and selfish, getting under just about everyone's skin.
    EW.com, EW.com, 4 July 2025
  • While the Great Lakes tunnel has been pitched as a safer option than leaving Line 5 alone without secondary containment, Gravelle said that's a narrow and selfish view.
    Caitlin Looby, jsonline.com, 3 July 2025
Adjective
  • Accurate data is scarce, given that members of groups rarely self-identify.
    R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
  • Dholes are dogs and communal hunters, typically traveling in packs of up to 30 animals but can hunt alone or in pairs when prey is scarce, according to the study.
    Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 27 June 2025
Adjective
  • They weren’t built by the government, but rather by those evil greedy private corporations and individuals who are guilty of the heinous crime of providing millions of Americans with places to live.
    The Editors, National Review, 30 June 2025
  • The backdrop of the Marcos dictatorship shaped her artistic approach, defined by an interest in quotidian experience—including everyday injustices such as gender inequality and the ecological exploitation of the Philippines by greedy conglomerates.
    Hung Duong, Artforum, 18 June 2025
Adjective
  • Here are the inspection scores and violations for restaurants within the city limits of Arlington for June 29th - July 5th, 2025 A score of 100 is a perfect score and 70 is considered to be extremely poor.
    Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 July 2025
  • But August is perhaps a poor month in which to rally the staff.
    John Updike, New Yorker, 11 July 2025
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
Adjective
  • Both parsimonious tenets are measurable, explainable and actionable.
    Noah Barsky, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
  • This parsimonious approach protects you from overdoing it when a less resource-intensive and even faster way to get the data would have been enough.
    Julius Černiauskas, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Stingy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stingy. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.

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