Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Miserly; niggardly; penurious.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Covetous; niggardly.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Unwilling to spend money; stingy

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective unwilling to part with money

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

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Examples

  • Someone, somewhere, is telling Americans that closefisted tipping is tolerated, even celebrated here.

    Ali Fitzgerald: The Plague Of American Cheapskates Ali Fitzgerald 2011

  • While the written record is somewhat closefisted with specific evidence of women's involvement in larger-scale collective actions, it is more generous in relation to smaller-scale events.

    Gutenber-e Help Page 2005

  • An iron hand is rule that is rigid, stubborn, severe, even cruel; iron-fisted has an additional connotation of “parsimonious, closefisted, niggardly.”

    The Right Word in the Right Place at the Right Time William Safire 2004

  • An iron hand is rule that is rigid, stubborn, severe, even cruel; iron-fisted has an additional connotation of “parsimonious, closefisted, niggardly.”

    The Right Word in the Right Place at the Right Time William Safire 2004

  • Like a majority, perhaps, of the really open-handed he shared one trait with the closefisted and even with the very mean rich.

    Travels through France and Italy 2004

  • You have held nothing back, I realize that now, and I want to throw caution and concern out of my heart so that I can be generous and openhanded like You, instead of fearful and closefisted.

    HEAVENLY MAIL Words of Promise from God G. A. Myers 2001

  • For all he was a closefisted and shut-hearted man, she knew the look of trouble when she saw it.

    Ishmael Barbara Hambly 2000

  • For all he was a closefisted and shut-hearted man, she knew the look of trouble when she saw it.

    Ishmael Barbara Hambly 2000

  • Colby was a humorless, efficient, closefisted man, Luke found, far more eager to bring money into the estate — and it was extremely prosperous — than to spend.

    Heartless Balogh, Mary 1995

  • Was the spell for preserving the venom so difficult to bring about, or were the God-Men merely being closefisted with their magic as was their custom?

    Conan and The Gods of The Mountain Green, Roland 1993

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