What does stinting mean?
“Stinting” means being deliberately careful or restrictive with money, food, time, effort, or other resources. As a verb, it often appears in the pattern “stint on something,” as in “stint on sugar,” while “stint no effort” means making no effort and “stint oneself on something” means to limit what one allows oneself to have. The word can carry a negative implication: an allowance may be described as stinting if it is inadequate, miserly, or ungenerous. As an adjective, “stinting” describes stingy spending or a niggardly attitude toward resources. It should not be confused with “stinging,” which refers to a sharp physical pain or irritation. Although “stint” also has the separate meaning of a period of work or duty, “stinting” in its common uses concerns limiting or withholding resources.
To limit the amount or extent of a resource, or to use it sparingly.
"The couple stinted on dining out while they were saving for a holiday."
The common construction is “stint on something”; the expression can imply either prudent economy or an ungenerously small allowance.
Stingy or miserly, especially in the use of money or resources.
"The club was criticized for its stinting contributions to local youth programs."
This use is informal to neutral and is usually somewhat disparaging.
The same old root that gives us “sting” also gave us the idea of squeezing resources into a tight limit.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does stinting come from?
The English verb descends from Old English “stintan,” meaning “to restrict” or “to limit,” and continued in Middle English in that sense. It is cognate with related verbs in other Germanic languages, including Dutch and German, and is ultimately connected with the root that also produced English “sting.” The modern sense of being stingy developed by extending the basic idea of restriction to the use of money and other resources.
Related word forms
How stinting is actually used
“Stinting” is often slightly negative: it can suggest deliberate economy, but it may also imply an excessively or ungenerously small amount. As an adjective, it commonly describes spending, budgets, or attitudes toward money.
Easily confused with stinting
Stinging refers to causing a sharp pain or irritation, whereas stinting means being stingy or limiting the use of a resource.