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stingy

Etymology and origin of the English word stingy

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈstɪnd͡ʒi/[1]

Etymology

It is of uncertain origin,[2][3] perhaps a dialect variant of stingy “stinging, sharp”,[4][2][3][5][6] from sting,[4][2][3][6] with altered pronunciation and meaning.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Niggardly, mean, close-fisted (1659).[7][2][5]

Semantic evolution

The older stingy “stinging, sharp” (about 1615) was used of criticism and of biting weather,[7][3][2] and dialect stingy also meant “bad-tempered”.[7] From 1849 the newer word described things doled out grudgingly,[7][3] and from 1854 a scanty amount.[7] Stinge “a stingy person” is a 20th-century back-formation.[3]

Timeline

  • about 1615 – stinging, sharp.[7][2][3]
  • 1659 – niggardly.[7][2][5]
  • 1849 – doled out grudgingly.[7][3]
  • 1854 – scanty.[7]
  • 1905 – stinge, a stingy person.[3]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Unwilling to give or spend; not generous; mean or miserly.
  2. Meagre or scanty.

Word family

  • stingily
  • stinginess
  • niggardly
  • parsimonious

Usage notes

The American Heritage Dictionary calls stingy the most general of a group of words meaning reluctant to spend or part with possessions, implying a lack of generosity and often meanness of spirit.[4] In that group, close adds caution, niggardly pettiness, and miserly a greedy hoarding of wealth for its own sake.[4] Random House adds that parsimonious suggests excessive frugality and mean a small-minded stinginess.[6]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Stingy.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/stingy. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·