stingy
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
not wanting to spend money or share things with others.
unwilling to spend, give, or share; characterized by parsimony or lack of generosity.
Simple“He is so stingy that he never buys a round of drinks for his friends.”
In context“Despite his immense wealth, the landlord was notoriously stingy when it came to essential building repairs.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
describing an amount of something that is too small or not enough.
meager, scant, or insufficient in quantity or size.
Simple“The restaurant served a stingy portion of chips with the main meal.”
In context“The company offered a stingy pay rise that failed to keep pace with the rising cost of living.”
- 03 C2 Proficiency
having a stinger or likely to sting you, like a bee or a plant.
capable of or inclined to inflict a sting; often used to describe insects or nettles.
Simple“Watch out for those stingy nettles in the long grass.”
In context“The child was terrified of the stingy insects buzzing around the fallen fruit in the orchard.”
“Those on big wages not paying their way may seem stingy.”
Uncertain, possibly from stinge, a dialectal variation of sting (verb).
From sting + -y.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.