stinginess
C1Formal, literary; negative connotation.
Definition
Meaning
The quality or behaviour of being unwilling to spend money or give things away; extreme frugality or meanness.
Can also apply to a reluctance to give non-material resources like time, affection, or praise.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Denotes a character trait, not a temporary state. Implies a moral judgment. Less common than the adjective 'stingy'.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Both use the term identically. 'Stinginess' is slightly more formal than 'meanness' in UK English.
Connotations
Universally negative, suggesting pettiness and lack of generosity.
Frequency
Slightly higher frequency in American English corpora; UK English may prefer 'meanness' in everyday speech.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[his/her/their] stinginessstinginess of [person]stinginess with [resource]stinginess towards [recipient]Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Tighter than a Scotsman on holiday (UK, informal/vulgar)”
- “Wouldn't give you the time of day”
- “Pinching pennies until they scream”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Criticism of a company's unwillingness to invest in staff or infrastructure.
Academic
In economic or psychological studies on resource allocation and prosocial behaviour.
Everyday
Complaining about someone who never buys a round of drinks or gives appropriate gifts.
Technical
Rare; potentially in behavioural economics describing non-cooperative strategies.
Examples
By Part of Speech
adverb
British English
- He lived stingily, reusing teabags to save pennies.
- The grant was stingily allocated.
American English
- The company stingily refused to cover the cost of parking.
- She smiled stingily, as if it cost her money.
adjective
British English
- His stingy attitude towards tipping is well-known.
- The council made a stingy offer for the land.
American English
- She's too stingy to buy the proper software license.
- They gave a stingy portion of mashed potatoes.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- His stinginess meant he never brought cakes for the office.
- I was surprised by her stinginess with the chocolates.
- The landlord's stinginess with repairs eventually drove all the tenants away.
- Her reputation for stinginess made people reluctant to invite her out.
- The biography delved into the billionaire's paradoxical stinginess amidst obscene wealth.
- His political downfall was attributed less to his policies and more to his perceived personal stinginess.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a **sting**-ray hiding its money in the sand – it 'stings' you by not sharing.
Conceptual Metaphor
GENEROSITY IS FLUIDITY/OPENNESS (hence stinginess is constriction/dryness).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Not 'скупость' in the noble 'thrifty' sense. It is exclusively negative, closer to 'жадность' or 'скряжничество'.
Common Mistakes
- Confusing with 'sting' (pain).
- Using as an adjective ('He is stinginess').
- Misspelling as 'stingyness'.
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following is the BEST synonym for 'stinginess' in the sentence: 'The committee's stinginess with the budget doomed the project from the start.'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It's less common than the adjective 'stingy' but is standard in formal writing when naming the quality.
No, it is exclusively negative. For a positive trait of careful spending, use 'frugality' or 'thrift'.
Stinginess is about unwillingness to give or spend what one has. Greed is an excessive desire to acquire more, often without regard for others. A greedy person may also be stingy.
No. The related adjective is 'stingy'. There is no direct verb; you must use phrases like 'act stingily' or 'be stingy'.