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Anonymous Posted 15 years ago
Vocabulary

Stingy/mean

Hi,

Although he is rich, he is stingy/mean.

Can I use 'mean' instead of stingy without changing the meaning?

"mean" means "ungenerous".

Thanks.
  

Top answer

Anonymous Can I use 'mean' instead of stingy without changing the meaning? I would not do that. The use of 'mean' for 'stingy' is somewhat literary.

— CalifJim

  • Anonymous Can I use 'mean' instead of stingy without changing the meaning?
  • I would not do that.
  • The use of 'mean' for 'stingy' is somewhat literary.
  • For most ordinary needs, stick with 'stingy'.
  • CJ
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4 Answers
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AnonymousCan I use 'mean' instead of stingy without changing the meaning?
I would not do that. The use of 'mean' for 'stingy' is somewhat literary. For most ordinary needs, stick with 'stingy'.

CJ
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When I was on holiday in Scotland, I had a conversation with a local lady, probably in in her late 60's. She was telling me all about her friend who was "the meanest person I ever met."

I was wondering why she would still be friends with someone so mean. Then she explained further that when her friend invited her for lunch, her friend served sandwiches made of bread slices so thin that yo
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Hi CJ and AlpheccaStars,

Thank you both for your replies.

Do the three words mean exactly the same?

He is stingy/parsimonious/niggardly.
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AnonymousDo the three words mean exactly the same?
He is stingy/parsimonious/niggardly.
If they are different words, they have different meanings! The problem is often that the exact shade of meaning is learned only by constant contact with English, reading and listening, seeing when people use one, when they use another, what context each is used in, wha
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