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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

Examples 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 Led by a stingy Falcons defense that didn’t allow a touchdown until late in the fourth quarter, forced three turnovers and blocked two punts, Atlanta haunted its former starting quarterback Desmond Ridder and handed the Raiders a 10th straight loss. Wayne Sterling, CNN, 17 Dec. 2024 How Brunson navigates physical, stingy opposing defenses this season will be critical in the Knicks’ pursuit of an elusive NBA title. Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 12 Dec. 2024 Valve has also been stingy with VR AAA titles, delivering only Half-Life: Alyx and leaving the industry waiting for the next bestseller title. Anshel Sag, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024 That won’t come easy against a stingy Thompson Valley defense that nearly shut out Discovery Canton in last week’s 3A quarterfinal win and has allowed just 72 points all season. Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 29 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for stingy 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stingy
Adjective
  • Going slowly and applying heat with a hair dryer can help reduce the risk of damage, but the difficulty of this process is a solid reason to be careful with your installation.
    Simon Hill, WIRED, 27 Dec. 2024
  • Identifying ground zero for the advent of Dengue Fever can be tricky, but careful research has identified Aquarius Records in the heart of San Francisco’s Mission District as the primary origin of the infectiously melodic band.
    Andrew Gilbert, The Mercury News, 27 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • That was a theme in the moribund postgame clubhouse, where those brilliant blue lights had been turned off, leaving it looking sad and sparse.
    Mark Lazerus, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024
  • Data on past genetic, neurological and physical diversity is usually more difficult to collect given the sparse nature of the fossil and archaeological record.
    Ryan McRae, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • The reinvention still follows the familiar beats of Scrooge's Christmas haunting: Three ghosts, each representing Christmas past (Andy Serkis), present (Charlotte Riley), and future (Jason Flemyng) show the miserly businessman the error of his ways.
    Andrew Walsh, EW.com, 12 Dec. 2024
  • Smart Care can free up valuable storage space, an important function considering most Macs come with miserly amounts of storage.
    Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024
Adjective
  • British and American soldiers plundered that area of New Jersey so heavily that all provisions became scarce.
    John Laycock, Baltimore Sun, 27 Dec. 2024
  • There’s a vein of sadness running through it, as talented women never achieve stardom and changes in taste and production have made even session work more scarce.
    Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 26 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • But that isn't the case here, as the Redditor said people are accusing them of being selfish for wanting to shut down the speech.
    Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024
  • People who have selfish motivations often manipulate others and ignore boundaries.
    Sandro da Silva, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Now research is finding that specifically working nights and rotating shift schedules can leave people susceptible to depression and poor health.
    Andrea Muraskin, NPR, 31 Dec. 2024
  • Bringing him in would allow the team to feel better about the shortstop position despite his poor production from last year.
    George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 31 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Legendary investor Warren Buffett advises to be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful.
    Dividend Channel, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
  • Robert Redford delivers folksy wisdom as a local eccentric who once had his own dragon encounter, and even Karl Urban’s greedy logger is more of a nuisance than an outright villain.
    Josh Bell, Vulture, 20 Dec. 2024
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

Thesaurus Entries Near stingy

Cite this Entry

“Stingy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stingy. Accessed 4 Jan. 2025.

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