Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Extremely unwilling to spend money; excessively frugal or miserly: Describes a person or behavior that is overly careful with money, often to the point of being stingy.
   • Characterized by reluctance to spend or give money: Describes actions or policies marked by extreme thrift.

2. Noun:

   • The practice of being extremely careful in spending money; extreme frugality: The act or habit of spending as little money as possible.
   • Reluctance to spend money unnecessarily: A state of mind or policy of avoiding any expenditure.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • The company's penny-pinching policies led to low employee morale.
  • He was so penny-pinching that he refused to turn on the heat in winter.

• Noun:

  • Her constant penny-pinching made it difficult to enjoy a simple dinner out.
  • The project failed due to excessive penny-pinching on essential materials.

Advanced Usage

• Used to criticize behavior considered excessively or harmfully frugal.
  • The mayor's penny-pinching on infrastructure will cost the city more in repairs later.

Variants and Related Words

• Penny-pincher (n): A person who is extremely unwilling to spend money.
  • He is known as a real penny-pincher at the office.

Synonyms

• Adjective: Stingy, miserly, parsimonious, tightfisted, cheeseparing, niggardly.
• Noun: Stinginess, miserliness, parsimony, frugality, tightfistedness.

Antonyms

• Adjective: Generous, lavish, spendthrift, extravagant.
• Noun: Generosity, extravagance, lavishness.

Related Idioms/Phrases

• Pinch pennies: To be very careful with money; to be frugal.
  • We had to pinch pennies to save for our vacation.
• Penny-wise and pound-foolish: Being careful with small amounts of money but wasteful with large sums (often a result of excessive penny-pinching).
  • Skipping regular car maintenance is penny-wise and pound-foolish.

Adjective

1. giving or spending with reluctance
   • our cheeseparing administration
   • very close (or near) with his money
   • a penny-pinching miserly old man

Noun

1. extreme care in spending money; reluctance to spend money unnecessarily