What does chintzy mean?
Chintzy is an informal adjective describing things that look cheap, gaudy, or pretentious — think plastic flowers painted gold, shiny imitation velvet, or furniture upholstered in overly busy floral prints. The word derives from chintz, the glazed cotton fabric first imported from India, whose elaborate floral patterns became so associated with fussy, dated home décor that by the twentieth century anything resembling them could be dismissed as chintzy. In North America the adjective developed a second sense meaning stingy or ungenerous, as in someone too chintzy to tip properly. Strongly negative in connotation, the word belongs to everyday speech rather than formal writing, where terms like tawdry or meretricious might serve instead. It remains a vivid shorthand for decoration that aspires to elegance but achieves only shoddiness.
Cheaply and gaudily made or decorated; showing pretentious shabbiness.
"The souvenir shop was full of chintzy figurines and glitter-covered trinkets."
The dominant sense in both British and American English.
(Informal, chiefly North American) Stingy or unwilling to spend money.
"Don't be chintzy — spring for the good coffee."
This sense is rare outside North America.
It comes from a luxurious Indian cotton fabric so prized in 17th-century Europe that some countries banned importing it to protect their own weavers.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of chintzy
Chintzy derives from chintz, a glazed calico textile originally imported into Europe from India in the seventeenth century. The English word chintz came from Hindi 'chīnt', meaning a spotted or variegated fabric. As chintz-covered furnishings became widespread but eventually fell out of fashion, the adjective chintzy emerged in the nineteenth century to describe things made of or resembling this fabric, then broadened to mean anything cheap and gaudy. Related words include calico, another Indian cotton cloth name adopted into English.
How chintzy is actually used
Informal register throughout. The 'stingy' sense is primarily American and Canadian; British speakers mostly use it only for tacky, low-quality appearance. The word carries strong negative connotation, so avoid it when tact is needed.
Easily confused with chintzy
Chintz is the glazed cotton fabric itself (originally from India), while chintzy describes something cheap-looking or gaudy — though chintz patterns were once associated with busy, old-fashioned decor.