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stingy1
—stingily, adv. —stinginess, n./stin"jee/, adj., stingier, stingiest.1. reluctant to give or spend; not generous; niggardly; penurious: He's a stingy old miser.2. scanty or meager: a stingy little income.[1650-60; perh. deriv. of STING; see -Y1]Syn. 1. tight. STINGY, PARSIMONIOUS, MISERLY, MEAN, CLOSE all mean reluctant to part with money or goods. STINGY, the most general of these terms, means unwilling to share, give, or spend possessions or money: children who are stingy with their toys; a stingy, grasping skinflint. PARSIMONIOUS describes an extreme stinginess arising from unusual or excessive frugality: a sternly parsimonious, penny-pinching existence. MISERLY stresses a pathological pleasure in acquiring and hoarding money that is so powerful that even necessities are only grudgingly purchased: a wretched, miserly way of life.MEAN suggests a small-minded, ignoble, petty stinginess leading to miserable, cheerless living: depressingly mean with his money; mean surroundings; a mean repast. CLOSE implies extreme caution in spending money, even an aversion to spending: a close dealer, buying only at rock bottom prices; generous with advice, but very close with his money. 2. sparse, paltry, poor.Ant. 1. generous.stingy2/sting"ee/, adj.having a sting.[1605-15; STING + -Y1]
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Universalium. 2010.