English Meaning & Definitions
A person who spends as little money as possible; a miserly or parsimonious individual.
- “The old skinflint refused to tip the waiter even after a three-hour meal.”
- “Despite his massive fortune, he remained a notorious skinflint who never donated to charity.”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
English Antonyms & Opposites
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “skinflint”.
Coined in the 17th century, the term is a compound of 'skin' and 'flint'. It evokes the vivid, hyperbolic image of a person so miserly that they would 'skin a flint'—an extremely hard, non-porous stone—in a desperate, futile attempt to extract value or profit from it.
Imagine a person so cheap they are trying to peel the skin off a rock (flint) just to save a penny.
Frequently Asked Questions About “skinflint”
1. What is the meaning of “skinflint” in English?
In English, skinflint (noun) is defined as: “A person who spends as little money as possible; a miserly or parsimonious individual.”.
2. How do you use “skinflint” in a sentence?
“The old skinflint refused to tip the waiter even after a three-hour meal.”
3. What are English synonyms of “skinflint”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “skinflint”?
Coined in the 17th century, the term is a compound of 'skin' and 'flint'. It evokes the vivid, hyperbolic image of a person so miserly that they would 'skin a flint'—an extremely hard, non-porous stone—in a desperate, futile attempt to extract value or profit from it.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
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A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.
A specific duration of time equivalent to one hour and forty-six minutes.