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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 The prevailing wisdom is that Medicaid is a losing proposition for health facilities, an insurance program so stingy that many can’t afford to take it. Helen Ouyang, The Atlantic, 21 Oct. 2025 With rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart under center, the Giants appeared to be turning their season around, taking a 19-0 lead into the fourth quarter against the Broncos and their stingy defense. Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 20 Oct. 2025 The Warriors turned in a stingy defensive performance and have now allowed only 28 points over their last four games following a grind-it-out 14-6 road win at Memorial Field. Greg Dudek, Boston Herald, 18 Oct. 2025 Still, the Dolphins got a bit stingy when the Chargers got to the red zone. Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for stingy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stingy
Adjective
  • While there have been many fine adaptations of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Alastair Sim's performance as the miserly, penny-pinching Ebenezer Scrooge elevates this version to must-see status.
    Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Oct. 2025
  • 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
Adjective
  • The musician wore a matching navy jacket and knee-length skirt with sparse pleats; the unique layering of a colorful, patterned scarf, light blue collared shirt and gray V-neck sweater accented the navy set.
    Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 30 Oct. 2025
  • However, research on the subject is fairly sparse.
    Kristen Fischer, Health, 30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • In such cases, solidarity and compassion themselves might seem like luxuries next to the all-conquering, primally selfish urge to save your own skin.
    Jessica Kiang, Variety, 31 Oct. 2025
  • That suits its otherworldly and somewhat formal tone, which takes viewers deep into Japan’s mythical past for a quartet of eerie tales about lonely ghosts and vengeful spirits who bring supernatural justice to selfish and immoral humans.
    Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • As housing remains scarce, pricey, and out of reach, the share of first-time home buyers has hit an all-time low.
    Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
  • Cost of living is raging, high-paying job opportunities are scarce, and layoffs are on the rise.
    Preston Fore, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • But Septime Webre’s choreography is supposed to have the air of wild and sometimes frenzied social dancing, of Charlestons and Fox Trots and Black Bottoms, of indulging the glorious excesses of the 1920s before the greedier side of the American Dream comes crashing down a few years later.
    David Lyman, Cincinnati Enquirer, 30 Oct. 2025
  • Which is to say, this isn’t the story of a greedy, materialistic man who suffers a crisis of conscience while trying to pry a priceless treasure away from an uneducated hick who doesn’t know any better.
    David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The apology came after a sustained campaign by historians and activists who argued that the victims were persecuted for being poor, vulnerable, or simply different.
    James Frater, CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025
  • As has Mark Flekken, the new goalkeeper, who moved from Brentford and is fortunate not to have lost his place due to poor form.
    Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 31 Oct. 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
  • Chelsea are famously parsimonious in the transfer market, after all.
    Phil Hay, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
  • 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

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Cite this Entry

“Stingy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stingy. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.

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