mingy

[ min-jee ]

adjective

, min·gi·er, min·gi·est.

1. mean and stingy; disappointingly meager.

mingy

/ ˈmɪndʒɪ /

adjective

1. informal.
   miserly, stingy, or niggardly

Word History and Origins

Origin of mingy¹

First recorded in 1885–90; m(ean) ² + (st)ingy ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of mingy¹

C20: probably a blend of mean ² + stingy ¹

Example Sentences

When the lot was uncrated, Young deemed the mugs too mingy to hold the volume of tea and cocoa she requires.

From Seattle Times

“When you walk, think of yourself striding, not just taking mingy steps.”

From New York Times

Many readers will relate, their fuses lit by a catalog of past and current ills: mingy salaries, thwarted ambitions, waning sex lives and — gasp! — impending mortality.

From New York Times

The thought of dancing with that little runt in his orange suede elevator shoes and mingy T-shirt and droopy blue sports coat made me laugh.

From Literature

Furthermore, the dimensions of a standard container, roughly 20 by 8 by 8½ feet, are too mingy on their own, which is why he has arranged his two-story house to be two containers wide.

From New York Times

Related Words

• canny
• careful
• meticulous
• prudent
• stingy
• thrifty