Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Embarrassingly stingy; excessively frugal or miserly: Describes a person or behavior that is unpleasantly and noticeably unwilling to spend money.
   • Of very poor quality; flimsy; cheaply made: Describes something that is badly made, often from inferior materials, and appears cheap or tacky.

Usage Examples

• Adjective (Stingy):

  • He was too chintzy to leave a proper tip for the waiter.
  • Her chintzy attitude made her reluctant to contribute to the group gift.

• Adjective (Poor Quality):

  • The hotel room was decorated with chintzy curtains and furniture.
  • They bought a chintzy souvenir that broke almost immediately.

Advanced Usage

• Describing Style or Taste: Often used to criticize decor, fashion, or objects that are not only cheaply made but also show poor aesthetic judgment, appearing gaudy or tasteless.
  • The whole room had a chintzy, over-the-top glamour that felt insincere.

Variants and Related Words

• Chintz (n): A printed, multicolored cotton fabric, often with a glazed finish. Historically, the adjective "chintzy" derived from this fabric, which was sometimes considered cheap or overly ornate.
• Chintzily (adv): In a chintzy manner.
  • The room was chintzily decorated.

Synonyms

• Stingy: Mean, ungenerous, tight-fisted, parsimonious.
• Poor Quality: Tacky, tawdry, shoddy, cheap, gimcrack, inferior.

Antonyms

• Generous: Lavish, open-handed, munificent.
• High Quality: Classy, elegant, superior, well-made.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• On the chintzy side: A phrase used to describe something as somewhat cheap or stingy.
  • The portions at the restaurant were a bit on the chintzy side.

Adjective

1. embarrassingly stingy
2. of very poor quality; flimsy