skinflint

AI In plain words

Writing a short explanation…

Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.

skinflint

/ˈskɪnflɪnt/ UK
/ˈskɪnˌflɪnt/ US

Where it comes from

From the phrase skin a flint (“go to extreme lengths for the sake of gain or economy”), from the brittleness and hardness of flint which makes it almost impossible to remove just its skin without shattering it.

noun skinflints

One who is excessively stingy or cautious with money. You know, he is quite a different sort from the Public Prosecutor and our other provincial skinflints--fellows who shiver in their shoes before they will spend a single kopeck.
Similar: nickel-shaver, tightwad, miser, carl, cheapass, cheapie, cheapskate, cheapo, churl, clutchfist, el cheapo, last of the big spenders

Talk about this word

Cite this

MLA

"skinflint." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/skinflint. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

skinflint. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/skinflint

Chicago

"skinflint." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/skinflint.

BibTeX

@misc{skinflint_2026,
  title = {skinflint},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/skinflint},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}