pinchpenny

[ pinch-pen-ee ]

noun

, plural pinch·pen·nies.

1. a stingy person; miser.

adjective

1. stingy; miserly.

pinchpenny

/ ˈpɪntʃˌpɛnɪ /

adjective

1. niggardly; miserly

noun

1. a miserly person; niggard

Word History and Origins

Origin of pinchpenny¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English pynchepeny; pinch, penny ( def )

Example Sentences

Pinchpenny Rod was regifting it to me.

From Los Angeles Times

You’ll be pleased to know we have one in the pinchpenny person of J. Paul Getty, who pinches countless billions while refusing to pay a penny of ransom for his kidnapped grandson in “All the Money in the World.”

From Wall Street Journal

“You call me Pinchpenny, and I’ll call you...”

From Literature

“My days of being a pinchpenny might be coming to an end.”

From Literature

Produced for a pinchpenny $12 million, the movie stars Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort as afflicted adolescents who meet at a cancer group-therapy session and fall splendidly in love.

From Time