parsimonious

[ pahr-suh-moh-nee-uhs ]

adjective

1. characterized by or showing parsimony; frugal or stingy.

   Synonyms: covetous, avaricious, penurious, mean, illiberal, miserly, close, tight

   Antonyms: generous

Other Words From

• parsi·moni·ous·ly adverb
• parsi·moni·ous·ness noun
• unpar·si·moni·ous adjective
• unpar·si·moni·ous·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of parsimonious¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; parsimon(y) + -ious

Synonym Study

See stingy ¹.

Example Sentences

The Chicago Tribune is owned by Alden Global Capital, an investment firm seen as the most parsimonious chain owner.

From Seattle Times

"The most parsimonious explanation for our results," researcher Elizabeth Klerman of Brigham and Women's Hospital & Harvard Medical School said at the time, "is that older people need less sleep."

From Salon

That’s likely why the recent program to observe the Crab emerged victorious in the stiff competition for JWST’s precious observing time; the parsimonious prospect of solving two different mysteries with one set of observations is just the sort of thing scientists love.

From Scientific American

This had been widely touted as the most anticipated match of the pool stage, pitting the world's top two sides in a fascinating clash of styles: the speed and ruthlessness of the Irish attack against a mighty, parsimonious South African defence that shipped just three points in their opening two games.

From BBC

Li says he thinks the system learns this skill because it is the most parsimonious description of its training data.

From Scientific American