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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

Examples of stingy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web As China continues to crack down on the financial sector, which includes drastic pay cuts and a cap on annual salary, many well-to-do luxury shoppers have suddenly turned into stingy customers. Denni Hu, WWD, 9 Sep. 2024 With 16 interceptions over the final seven games, the Bears ended up fifth in the NFL in takeaways for the season, adding teeth to a pass defense that complemented the league’s stingiest run defense. Dan Wiederer, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2024 Defense remains stingy The Rams’ defense, facing an offense that featured several starting receivers, did not give up a touchdown for the second consecutive game. Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2024 The big right-hander accounted for 178 total yards and four touchdowns against the stingy Hawkeye defense. Tom Murphy, arkansasonline.com, 23 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for stingy 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stingy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Thesaurus Entries Near stingy

Cite this Entry

“Stingy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stingy. Accessed 6 Oct. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on stingy

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