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Glite Dictionary
to be mingy

to be mingy

9.5
To not want to give or share things
  • phrasal verb
  • UK
translation icon : ser tacaño
  • She didn't want to be mingy when it came to tipping the server.

Examples

  • He can sometimes be mingy when it comes to sharing food.

  • If you are mingy with compliments, people may think you're unfriendly.

  • Don't be mingy; share your dessert with your friends.

  • Don't be mingy with your compliments!

  • Don't be mingy; share your dessert with your friends.

  • If you be mingy with compliments, people may think you're unfriendly.

  • She didn't want to be mingy when it came to tipping the server.

Synonyms

stingy
vsto be mingy
26 5.2

Not willing to spend money or give help to others

is similar but presented as an informal, colloquial label
miserly
vsto be mingy
3 7.9

Not willing to spend or give money even when they have enough

focuses on the same ungenerous action but in informal tone
ungenerous
vsto be mingy
2 6.2

Not willing to give money or help others

is the informal, more colloquial way to describe that behavior
parsimonious
vsto be mingy
2 9.9

A person who is unwilling to spend money and avoids buying things

is milder, covering ordinary unwillingness rather than extreme thrift
tightfisted
vsto be mingy
  • Offensive
1 8.0

A person who does not like to spend money

describes the same stinginess but with a more informal feel
penny-pinching
vsto be mingy
  • Informal
1 7.5

Not willing to spend much money

is like that but used in a more casual, critical way
niggardly
vsto be mingy
  • Archaic
1 9.9

Not willing to give or spend much money

is less extreme and more colloquial about the same ungenerosity
picayunish
vsto be mingy
  • Archaic
1 9.9

Unwilling to spend money, even for small things

is broader, applying to both small and larger acts of ungenerosity
mingy
vsto be mingy
  • Offensive
9.1

Not willing to give or share things, especially money

is the general informal expression for the same ungenerous behavior
closefisted
vsto be mingy
8.2

Not willing to spend or give money

is the everyday label that covers this tight money attitude
hardfisted
vsto be mingy
  • Offensive
9.9

Not willing to spend or share money

is the more neutral description of general ungenerous conduct
cheeseparing
vsto be mingy
  • Archaic
9.9

Being very unwilling to spend money

is similar but used more casually to judge small stinginess
chinchy
vsto be mingy
  • Offensive
9.9

Not willing to spend money or share costs

describes stinginess more generally without the social embarrassment focus
scrimy
vsto be mingy
  • Archaic
9.9

Unwilling to give money or things

covers that behavior but also other everyday ungenerous actions

Antonyms

generous
328 1.6

Willing to give more than is expected, especially money or time

How Generous

to lavish
17 5.3
giving
1.7
frugal
31 4.9
to be mingy
  • UK
9.5

Surface Forms

be mingy infinitive
was mingy past
been mingy past participle
being mingy present participle
is mingy third person singular

Morphology

be + mingy

This is a simple copula construction (be + adjective). If a learner knows 'mingy' = 'reluctant to give or share', they can directly derive 'be mingy' as 'to be stingy' without extra idiomatic knowledge; the pattern is syntactically and semantically compositional and cross-linguistically common.

Etymology

Be mingy may come from an old Scottish word mingy for someone who held their coins so tightly that none would fall out, a clear image of being too careful with money. So, to be mingy means 'to be unwilling to give, spend, or share'.