tightfisted

adjective

ˈtīt-ˈfi-stəd How to pronounce tightfisted (audio)
Definition of tightfistednext
as in miserly
giving or sharing as little as possible the company is pretty tightfisted when it comes to bonuses

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 tightfisted Dobie’s cantankerous, tightfisted father and sweet, harebrained mother were played by the characters actors Frank Faylen and Florida Friebus. — Margalit Fox, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2022 The ambience reflects Hankey’s tightfisted approach to his seven companies, which include a Toyota dealership, a dealer management software developer and Midway Car Rental, which does a big business renting exotic cars. — Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2021 But most problems that befall condo associations are not from nefarious board members or tightfisted unit owners, said Rolando, the Florida Bar Association’s Condominium and Planned Development Committee co-chair. — Washington Post, 7 July 2021 The Heiress Hunt is about two strong-willed individuals learning to wrest the tightfisted control that has dictated their lives (and their success). — Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 1 Apr. 2021 See All Example Sentences for tightfisted
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tightfisted
  1. greedy
  2. selfish
  3. miserly
  4. parsimonious
  5. stingy
  6. ungenerous
  7. tight
  8. penurious
Adjective
  • Skubal, who missed more than a month after eventually having surgery to remove a loose body from his elbow, mostly disagreed with public reaction painting him as greedy or selfish in not disclosing the strange feeling that had lingered in his arm.
    — Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 24 July 2026
  • In Nolan’s telling, his deceit and plundering portend the collapse of the Bronze Age—a foreboding warning about greedy, fading empires that feels a little too relevant.
    — Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 16 July 2026
Definition of greedy
Adjective
  • Erika is manipulative and selfish; Elliot doesn’t respect her boundaries either.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026
  • This Fire sign reminds us that taking up space and being unapologetically yourself isn’t inherently selfish, and genuine self-expression can be incredibly brave.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 29 July 2026
Definition of selfish
Adjective
  • The plot involves two sons of rich, miserly fathers in love with girls their fathers will never approve of and what happens when the fathers’ devious servants decide to give the boys a hand.
    — Lonnie Burstein Hewitt, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 July 2026
  • The already rich reap the most, though the thin spreading of payments means the payouts are relatively miserly for the game’s elite.
    — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 21 July 2026
Definition of miserly
Adjective
  • This one seemed slow and turgid, and the Australian attack was parsimonious, with only the sixth bowler used, Ash Gardner, going at more than 10 runs an over in her three overs.
    — Paul Newman, New York Times, 5 July 2026
  • This is the most parsimonious way to account for the unified nature of consciousness, according to subcorticalists.
    — Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 28 May 2026
Definition of parsimonious
Adjective
  • Leeds’ 95 goals dwarfed Burnley’s 69, but the latter were able to keep pace with their rivals because of their stingy defence.
    — Beren Cross, New York Times, 24 July 2026
  • But Messi’s magic ran out against a historically stingy Spain team that allowed just one goal in eight World Cup games.
    — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 19 July 2026
Definition of stingy
Adjective
  • Bad motives are easy to find Sometimes ungenerous motives can help people to be generous.
    — Mark Schroeder, The Conversation, 15 July 2026
  • Suzanne’s ungenerous view of herself is one of many misperceptions that will be overturned—some gently, some not.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 26 May 2026
Definition of ungenerous
Adjective
  • With patience and selectivity, a tight budget can still open up the universe.
    — Damian Peach, Space.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Small prey, with smaller bodies, can make abrupt, tight turns.
    — Rachel Sargent Mirus, Hartford Courant, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of tight
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
  • But both are gone because neither could make magic of Sherman’s low-spending model that still includes the most penurious payroll in MLB in 2025.
    — Greg Cote July 16, Miami Herald, 16 July 2025
Definition of penurious

Browse Nearby Words

tightens
tightfisted
tightfistedness
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Cite this Entry

“Tightfisted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tightfisted. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

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