stingy Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. adjective unwilling to spend
    ungenerous.
    • she practices economy without being stingy
    • an ungenerous response to the appeal for funds
  2. adjective deficient in amount or quality or extent
    scrimpy; meager; meagerly; meagre.
    • meager resources
    • meager fare

WordNet

Sting"y adjective
Definitions
  1. Stinging; able to sting.
Stin"gy adjective
Etymology
Probably from sting, and meaning originally, stinging; hence, biting, nipping (of the wind), churlish, avaricious; or cf. E. skinch.
Wordforms
comparative Stingier ; superlative Stingiest
Definitions
  1. Extremely close and covetous; meanly avaricious; niggardly; miserly; penurious; as, a stingy churl.
    A stingy, narrow-hearted fellow that had a deal of choice fruit, had not the heart to touch it till it began to be rotten. L'estrange.

Webster 1913