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Word of the Day:

July 13, 2020

parsimonious

adjective par-suh-MOH-nee-us

What it Means

1 : exhibiting or marked by thrift or economy; especially : frugal to the point of stinginess

2 : sparing, restrained

Parsimonious in Context

"A Monopoly board sat on a makeshift table in the center of the room, with each player's signature token poised on the Go square: the racing car (Mark), the cannon (Steve), the top hat (me), and a shiny penny (Rob, appropriately enough, since he was known for his parsimonious ways when haggling over deals)." — John Walsh, The Providence Journal, 14 Sept. 2019

"Enter the men: Edmond Rostand (Jason Butler Harner), one of France's greatest young dramatists; Alphonse Mucha (Matthew Saldivar), the Art Nouveau illustrator of Bernhardt's gorgeous posters; and Louis (Tony Carlin), a critic so parsimonious with praise I suppose it's only fair that he's given no surname." — Jesse Green, The New York Times, 25 Sept. 2018

More example sentences

Did You Know?

English isn't stingy when it comes to synonyms of parsimonious. Stingy, close, penurious, and miserly are a few terms that, like parsimonious, suggest an unwillingness to share with others. Stingy implies a marked lack of generosity, whereas close suggests keeping a tight grip on one's money and possessions. Penurious implies frugality that gives an appearance of actual poverty, and miserly suggests avariciousness and a morbid pleasure in hoarding. Parsimonious usually suggests an extreme frugality that borders on stinginess.

Name That Antonym

Fill in the blanks to complete an antonym of parsimonious: _ _ s _ _ n _ _ _ g.

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