stingy

adjective

ˈstin-jē How to pronounce stingy (audio)
Definition of stingynext
1
as in miserly
giving or sharing as little as possible until his redemption, Ebenezer Scrooge is the classic example of a very stingy, heartless miser

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sparse
less plentiful than what is normal, necessary, or desirable a stingy serving of mashed potatoes

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 Burton was not nearly as flashy, but still found ways to score against a stingy Minnesota defense, pulling the Valkyries within single digits while playing every minute of the second half. — Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2026 After Mahomes completed his first five passes, the defense got stingy and limited the two-time MVP to a single completion on eight attempts. — Kansas City Star, 10 Aug. 2026 Even after accounting for differences between the generous CLTC testing cycle and stingier EPA cycle, we were left with cars offering a crazy-high 910-mile (1,465-km) range. — New Atlas, 6 Aug. 2026 In another world where the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is less stingy towards comedic performances, Candy would have easily landed an Oscar nomination, if not a win, for Planes, Trains and Automobiles. — Al Shipley, SPIN, 4 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for stingy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stingy
  1. careful
  2. sparse
  3. miserly
  4. scarce
  5. selfish
  6. poor
  7. greedy
  8. tightfisted
Adjective
  • Getting to that point required careful control of stress during fabrication.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Huntsinger, playing along with Variety’s should-win/will-win Emmy prediction game, drew a careful line.
    — Clayton Davis, Variety, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of careful
Adjective
  • Sacramento in particular would see only sparse raindrops in between more cloudy skies.
    — Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Enter Reeve, who was only 24 when filming began, with a sparse screen resume.
    — Jesse Hassenger, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of sparse
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
  • For reference, antimony is a relatively scarce metal/mineral used in things like flame retardants, batteries, electronics, and defense applications.
    — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026
  • David Szondy/New Atlas What was needed was a cheap, effective weapon that could be produced quickly and in large numbers with the scarce resources available in a country committed to total war.
    — David Szondy August 30, New Atlas, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of scarce
Adjective
  • Steve Bova, another friend and former director of the international division at Systematics, recalled how Steuri was anything but selfish.
    — Dylan Sherman, Arkansas Online, 1 Sep. 2026
  • But the most terrifying characters are the broken, vain, selfish parents who in one way or another cause their children so much harm.
    — Deputy Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of selfish
Adjective
  • Dozens of companies have withdrawn over the past decades due to poor profits, an uncertain business outlook and concerns about harm to their reputations from making arms, especially lethal weapons.
    — Mia Osmonbekov, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Along the way, the audience can expect tons of humiliation, terrible second prizes, and the guarantee that Robertson will turn at least one poor soul's wrong turn into several minutes of unhinged public destruction.
    — Rebecca Rosman, NPR, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of poor
Adjective
  • However, greedy jobs are mostly characterized by the unpredictability of when individuals are required to work.
    — Kim Elsesser, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Through its own websites, the mysterious group has been portraying itself as vigilantes out to rein in greedy video game developers.
    — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of greedy
Adjective
  • 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, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2021
Definition of tightfisted

Browse Nearby Words

stings
stingy
stink
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Cite this Entry

“Stingy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stingy. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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