skinflint

noun

skin·​flint ˈskin-ˌflint How to pronounce skinflint (audio)
: a person who would save, gain, or extort money by any means : miser

Examples of skinflint in a Sentence

She is a penny-pinching skinflint. the team's owner is a skinflint whose penny-pinching ways keep the team from acquiring any real talent
Recent Examples on the Web The Pat McAfee Show is the purest manifestation of the skinflint era of ESPN. Corbin Smith, Rolling Stone, 13 Jan. 2024 So is the criticism not about his being a skinflint, but something else annoying—a fussbudget, a gadfly? A.e. Stallings, The New York Review of Books, 17 Aug. 2023 Gone are the days of some teams having nearly their entire 40-man roster in uniform and those with skinflint owners having only a few extras. Peter Abraham, BostonGlobe.com, 31 Aug. 2022 Manchin isn’t the only skinflint in American politics. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2022 The skinflint editor played, lackadaisically, by Mr. Murray is based on Harold Ross. Joe Morgenstern, WSJ, 21 Oct. 2021 In truth, that prudence was forced on the Legislature by former Gov. Jerry Brown, a fiscal skinflint compared with the liberal Newsom. George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2021 Despite the benefits in this measure, U.S. pandemic relief remains among the most skinflint, cheeseparing packages in the developed world. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 21 Dec. 2020 Both political parties have endorsed a modest rate of taxation of the rich, and a wretched, skinflint system of welfare and social services. Ryan Cooper, TheWeek, 9 June 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'skinflint.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1699, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of skinflint was circa 1699

Dictionary Entries Near skinflint

Cite this Entry

“Skinflint.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skinflint. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

skinflint

noun
skin·​flint ˈskin-ˌflint How to pronounce skinflint (audio)
: a person who is very stingy in money matters : miser

More from Merriam-Webster on skinflint

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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