PARSIMONIOUS Synonyms: 92 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'parsimonious' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of parsimonious are close , miserly , niggardly , penurious , and stingy . While all these words mean "being unwilling or showing unwillingness to share with others," parsimonious suggests a frugality so extreme as to lead to stinginess. // a parsimonious lifestyle notably lacking in luxuries

Q: When could 'close' be used to replace 'parsimonious'?

While in some cases nearly identical to parsimonious , close suggests keeping a tight grip on one's money and possessions. // folks who are very close when charity calls

Q: When is it sensible to use 'miserly' instead of 'parsimonious'?

The meanings of miserly and parsimonious largely overlap; however, miserly suggests a sordid avariciousness and a morbid pleasure in hoarding. // a miserly couple devoid of social conscience

Q: Where would 'niggardly' be a reasonable alternative to 'parsimonious'?

While the synonyms niggardly and parsimonious are close in meaning, niggardly implies giving or spending the very smallest amount possible. // the niggardly amount budgeted for the town library

Q: When would 'penurious' be a good substitute for 'parsimonious'?

The words penurious and parsimonious are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, penurious implies niggardliness that gives an appearance of actual poverty. // the penurious eccentric bequeathed a fortune

Q: In what contexts can 'stingy' take the place of 'parsimonious'?

In some situations, the words stingy and parsimonious are roughly equivalent. However, stingy implies a marked lack of generosity. // a stingy child, not given to sharing

parsimonious

adjective

ˌpär-sə-ˈmō-nē-əs

Definition of parsimonious

as in miserly

giving or sharing as little as possible a parsimonious woman who insists that charity begins—and ends—at home

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How does the adjective parsimonious contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of parsimonious are close, miserly, niggardly, penurious, and stingy. While all these words mean "being unwilling or showing unwillingness to share with others," parsimonious suggests a frugality so extreme as to lead to stinginess.

a parsimonious lifestyle notably lacking in luxuries

When could close be used to replace parsimonious?

While in some cases nearly identical to parsimonious, close suggests keeping a tight grip on one's money and possessions.

folks who are very close when charity calls

When is it sensible to use miserly instead of parsimonious?

The meanings of miserly and parsimonious largely overlap; however, miserly suggests a sordid avariciousness and a morbid pleasure in hoarding.

a miserly couple devoid of social conscience

Where would niggardly be a reasonable alternative to parsimonious?

While the synonyms niggardly and parsimonious are close in meaning, niggardly implies giving or spending the very smallest amount possible.

the niggardly amount budgeted for the town library

When would penurious be a good substitute for parsimonious?

The words penurious and parsimonious are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, penurious implies niggardliness that gives an appearance of actual poverty.

the penurious eccentric bequeathed a fortune

In what contexts can stingy take the place of parsimonious?

In some situations, the words stingy and parsimonious are roughly equivalent. However, stingy implies a marked lack of generosity.

a stingy child, not given to sharing

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of parsimonious The eye, though, is much more parsimonious, focusing its attention only on a small part of the visual scene at any one time—namely, the part of the scene that changes, like the fluttering of a leaf or a golf ball splashing into water. — Christoph Posch, IEEE Spectrum, 26 Nov. 2025 But German defense outlays were notoriously parsimonious, and fast growth seemed improbable. — Gerry Doyle, Bloomberg, 27 Jan. 2026 Jerry Reinsdorf, who traditionally has been parsimonious with both the Bulls and the ChiSox, isn’t about to kick in another $116 million. — Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 23 Feb. 2026 But the parsimonious Lady Featherington (Polly Walker) gives Varly her old hideous yellow and green dresses instead of a raise (this is clearly the Regency-era equivalent of the office pizza party). — Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 29 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for parsimonious

Recent Examples of Synonyms for parsimonious

Adjective

Koenig’s former Yankees teammates were contemptuous of that miserly decision.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 June 2026
Player sales have generated big cash but miserly profits this season.

— David Ornstein, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2026

Definition of miserly

Adjective

Unlike Reborn Rich, Reborn Rookie is a comedy, finding a fair amount of fun in the story of a CEO who accidentally swaps bodies with a young soccer player, and uses the opportunity to get revenge on his selfish children.

— Kayti Burt, Time, 6 July 2026
Across 15 tracks, the rapper and producer get to work making their first proper body of work together as memorable as expected, delving into relationship mishaps, selfish tendencies, and the absurdist comedy that is real life.

— Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 25 June 2026

Definition of selfish

Adjective

The Sudanese conflict has conscripted the neighboring countries who are selfishly courting either faction for resources or political standing, as well as greedy, exploitative foreign powers who repeatedly leverage religious and cultural tensions in the region, into the fight for profit.

— Janine di Giovanni, Vanity Fair, 25 June 2026
Next to him were Brad Lander, Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez, all left-leaning candidates running on a platform that includes abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement and taking on bad landlords and greedy corporations.

— Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 23 June 2026

Definition of greedy

Adjective

Dobie’s cantankerous, tightfisted father and sweet, harebrained mother were played by the characters actors Frank Faylen and Florida Friebus.

— Margalit Fox, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2022
The ambience reflects Hankey’s tightfisted approach to his seven companies, which include a Toyota dealership, a dealer management software developer and Midway Car Rental, which does a big business renting exotic cars.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2021

Definition of tightfisted

Adjective

In a massive joint operation, US Central Command – with tight coordination from US Strategic Command, US Space Command, and the US Space Force – used electromagnetic warfare to blank out a massive area over Iran.

— David Szondy July 06, New Atlas, 7 July 2026
In major competitions since Euro 1984 (including the UEFA Nations League), the contests have been tight affairs that have been decided by one goal or penalties.

— Ben Church, CNN Money, 6 July 2026

Definition of tight

Adjective

Confessions kicked off one of the weirdest eras in a career that has never been stingy with weirdness.

— Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 3 July 2026
Royce Lewis and Victor Caratini hit back-to-back homers, Zebby Matthews pitched seven stingy innings and the Minnesota Twins held off a late rally by the Houston Astros for a 5-4 victory Monday night.

— CBS News, CBS News, 30 June 2026

Definition of stingy

Adjective

There’s a cast of wanderers, visionaries, and itinerants, the self-educated and self-published, a long lineage of cranks and outcasts, mostly penurious, always opinionated, stretching away into the mists of pseudohistory.

— Hari Kunzru, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
But both are gone because neither could make magic of Sherman’s low-spending model that still includes the most penurious payroll in MLB in 2025.

— Greg Cote July 16, Miami Herald, 16 July 2025

Definition of penurious

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“Parsimonious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parsimonious. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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