Synonyms: 1.tight. Stingy,parsimonious,miserly,mean,close all mean reluctant to part with money or goods. Stingy, the most general of these terms, means unwilling to share, give, or spend possessions or money: children who are stingy with their toys; a stingy, grasping skinflint. Parsimonious describes an extreme stinginess arising from unusual or excessive frugality: a sternly parsimonious, penny-pinching existence. Miserly stresses a pathological pleasure in acquiring and hoarding money that is so powerful that even necessities are only grudgingly purchased: a wretched, miserly way of life. Mean suggests a small-minded, ignoble, petty stinginess leading to miserable, cheerless living: depressingly mean with his money; mean surroundings; a mean repast. Close implies extreme caution in spending money, even an aversion to spending: a close dealer, buying only at rock bottom prices; generous with advice, but very close with his money. 2.sparse, paltry, poor.
"niggardly, penurious, tight-fisted," 1659, possibly a dialectal alteration of earlier stingy "biting, sharp, stinging" (c.1615), from sting (v.). Back-formation stinge "a stingy person" is recorded from 1914.