US /ˈskɪnˌflɪnt/ UK /ˈskɪnflɪnt/
noun Freq #49604

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    a person who is excessively unwilling to spend or give money

    The skinflint hoarded his wealth rather than use it for any honorable purpose.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 noun · a person who is excessively... misertightwadcheapskate
More penny-pincher
Word family
Forms skinflints
Related forms stingyparsimony

Etymology

From the phrase skin a flint, "to go to extreme lengths for gain or economy," since flint is so hard and brittle that removing its skin would be nearly impossible.

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