tightwad

noun

tight·​wad ˈtīt-ˌwäd 

: a close or miserly person

Synonyms

• cheapskate
• churl
• hunks
• miser
• niggard
• penny-pincher
• piker
• scrooge
• skinflint

Examples of tightwad in a Sentence

Her husband's such a tightwad that he never wants to go out to dinner.

you're always such a tightwad when charity comes calling

Recent Examples on the Web

Your customers can be tightwads or spendthrifts, and your products may be oriented to one or the other. —Roger Dooley, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025

But come Sunday, the tightwad could still walk away with the trophy. —Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY, 12 Feb. 2022

Valentine’s Day plus being too much of a tightwad to buy a gift. —Erika W. Smith, refinery29.com, 5 Feb. 2020

So Carew signed with the Angels and the Yankees maintained their imperious and often disdainful view of the Twins as backwater tightwads who didn't sufficiently appreciate the privilege of playing against the Yankees, much less for them. —Steve Rushin, SI.com, 20 Sep. 2019

Maybe because the tightwad organization has shed $20 million off an already bottom-feeding payroll, to an even thinner $63.5 million. —Ann Killion, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Mar. 2018

The details of the tax returns painted Reagan as a tightwad, helping augment his public image as a crusader who would cut government spending. —Kevin M. Kruse, Esquire, 14 Apr. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for tightwad

• abroad
• applaud
• backboard
• ballade
• defraud
• ephod
• facade
• guffawed
• outlawed
• ramrod
• roughshod
• slipshod

Kids Definition

tightwad

noun

tight·​wad ˈtīt-ˌwäd 

: a stingy person