What does chintziness mean?
Chintziness is the noun for the quality of being chintzy. Its dominant sense is stinginess: an unwillingness to spend money or share resources, often expressed through meanness or excessive thrift. A second, less dominant sense denotes cheapness, tastelessness, or shoddiness, especially in decoration or design. The word is normally used critically and informally, so describing behavior as chintzy can be more pointed than simply calling someone frugal. It commonly appears as a personal characteristic, as in a complaint about a host's chintziness, or as a criticism of an object's appearance. Because the noun is usually uncountable, it expresses a quality rather than counting separate instances. Chintziness remains a useful term because it can capture both stinginess and the broader impression of something chosen without regard to generosity, quality, or visual dignity.
nounThe quality of being chintzy, especially of being stingy or miserly. A less common sense refers to cheapness or tawdry quality.
- Stinginess or miserliness, especially reluctance to spend money or share resources.
- Cheapness, tastelessness, or shoddy quality, especially in decoration or design.
"Her reputation for chintziness made it difficult to organize a generous celebration."
"His chintziness was evident when he declined to contribute even a small amount to the charity."
"Critics dismissed the room's chintziness, citing its garish colors and cheap furnishings."
The plural is possible but uncommon; chintziness is normally used as an uncountable noun.
"The designer catalogued the chintzinesses of successive renovations with evident frustration."
The word began with a fabric: chintziness runs through “chintzy” to “chintz,” the patterned cotton cloth whose name entered English through Persian, Portuguese, and French.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does chintziness come from?
Chintziness was formed from the adjective chintzy by adding the noun suffix -ness. Chintzy derives from chintz, the name for a patterned cotton cloth; English borrowed the word from French chintz, from Portuguese chinta, ultimately from Persian chintaz. Chintzy came to be used figuratively for stingy, cheap, or tawdry, and chintziness names that quality.
How chintziness is actually used
Usually an informal and mildly critical term. It is generally uncountable and is more pointed than the neutral word “frugal.”
Easily confused with chintziness
Chintz is a patterned cotton fabric, whereas chintziness denotes a stingy, cheap, or tawdry quality.