mingy
/'mindʤi/
Definition
- Adjective:
- Stingy, miserly, or ungenerous: Describes a person who is unwilling to spend money or give things away; characterized by a lack of generosity.
- Meager or paltry: Can describe something, especially an amount, that is disappointingly small or inadequate.
Usage
- As an adjective describing a person's character or behavior:
- He was too mingy to buy a round of drinks for his friends.
- Her mingy attitude made her unpopular with her colleagues.
- As an adjective describing an amount or portion:
- They served a mingy portion of food for such an expensive meal.
- He left a mingy tip on the table.
Advanced Usage
- "Mingy" is an informal, somewhat old-fashioned word. It often carries a tone of criticism or disapproval, suggesting pettiness or a lack of proper spirit.
- It was mingy of the company not to give a proper bonus this year.
- Don't be so mingy with the compliments; she did a great job.
Variants and Related Words
- Stingy (adj): A more common synonym for being unwilling to spend money.
- Miserly (adj): Emphasizes extreme reluctance to spend money, like a miser.
- Parsimonious (adj): A more formal term for being frugal to the point of stinginess.
- Niggardly (adj, formal/dated): Meanly stingy. (Note: This word is sometimes confused with a racial slur due to phonetic similarity, so it is used with great caution.)
Synonyms
- Mean
- Tightfisted
- Penny-pinching
- Cheap (informal)
- Close-fisted
Antonyms
- Generous
- Lavish
- Open-handed
- Bountiful
Related Idioms and Phrases
- "To be tight with money": An informal idiom meaning to be unwilling to spend.
- He's always been tight with money, never wanting to go out for dinner.
- "To pinch pennies": To be extremely careful with small amounts of money.
- They're pinching pennies to save for a new house.
Adjective
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(used of persons or behavior) characterized by or indicative of lack of generosity
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a mean person
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he left a miserly tip
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