Parsimonious
— excessively frugal; stingy
Parsimonious means excessively unwilling to spend money or use resources — stingy and miserly to an extreme degree. It goes beyond simple frugality; a parsimonious person hoards every penny and refuses to part with even the smallest amount.
While being careful with money is generally wise, parsimoniousness implies a meanness of spirit — a tightness that makes others uncomfortable. A parsimonious host serves tiny portions; a parsimonious employer refuses even modest raises. The word always suggests that the thrift has crossed the line from sensible into unreasonable.
Do you know what Parsimonious means?
Answer a question to start building your vocabulary.
Memory Mnemonic
PURSE MONEY US
The keyword PURSE MONEY US comes from how Parsimonious sounds when spoken aloud. This pronunciation connection makes it easy to recall the keyword whenever you hear or see the word.
Memory Link
She held her PURSE full of MONEY away from US—excessively frugal and stingy with every penny!
Visualise a woman clutching her PURSE full of MONEY, pulling it away from US — refusing to spend a single coin, guarding every penny with fierce, excessive frugality. See her arms wrapped tight around the purse, eyes narrowed with suspicion, as if sharing even a little would physically hurt her. That extreme stinginess, that refusal to part with anything, is parsimonious.
HOW TO MEMORIZE VOCABULARY
There are 3 steps to effectively memorising vocabulary.
Step 1: Derive a keyword from the word based on how the word is spelled or pronounced. Next time you see the word, you will be able to derive the keyword from it because it is based on the word.
Step 2: Form a visual memory link that connects the keyword and the meaning(s) of the word you are learning.
Step 3: Ensure to Visualise the image, see it in your imagination. This is important even if it takes a few seconds.
Usage Examples
- The parsimonious landlord refused to fix the broken heater despite repeated complaints from tenants.
- Her parsimonious nature was evident in the way she reused tea bags three or four times.
- The company's parsimonious approach to employee benefits led to high staff turnover.
- He was so parsimonious that he walked two miles in the rain rather than pay for a taxi.
- The parsimonious billionaire lived in a modest apartment and wore the same suit for years.
Etymology of Parsimonious
From Latin parsimonia, meaning "thrift" or "frugality," derived from parcere (to spare, to be thrifty). The word entered English in the 16th century. While the Latin root is neutral, the English word has always leaned toward the negative — describing thrift taken to an unreasonable, stingy extreme.
Synonyms & Antonyms of Parsimonious
Synonyms
Antonyms
Common Collocations with Parsimonious
You've Learned It. Now Make Sure You Never Forget It.
The mnemonic visualisation above helps you learn this word instantly — no rote memorisation needed. But to move it into long-term memory, you still need to review it a few times.
This is where spaced repetition comes in — it shows you words right before you're about to forget them, so you spend less time reviewing and remember more. After just a few spaced reviews, you'll start recalling the meaning naturally — without even needing the keyword or memory link.
Built In Spaced Repetition
You've learned this word using our mnemonic system — but to truly lock it into long-term memory, you need to review it at the right time. That's where spaced repetition comes in.
Our built-in spaced repetition system shows you words just before you're about to forget them, so you review less and remember more. After a few reviews, you'll recall the meaning naturally — without even needing the keyword or memory link.
Explore Word List
You can explore the Word List for a pack from the dashboard. Once you have selected a pack, just clicks Words
Visualisation Help
Visualising the memory link is the most important step — it's what makes you remember the word on the very first try. Don't just read the memory link. Close your eyes and see it play out in your imagination.
The more vivid and detailed your mental image, the stronger the memory. Every word on VocabularyFast comes with a visualisation audio guide. Just look at the image, hit play, and follow the audio as it walks you through the scene.
This takes only a few seconds but makes all the difference between forgetting a word tomorrow and remembering it for life.
Test Yourself With Quizzes
Quizzes are the fastest way to check if you've truly learned a word. Pick from two modes — see the word and recall the meaning, or see the meaning and recall the word.
Both directions strengthen your memory in different ways. Each quiz is 10 questions, so it only takes a minute or two. Take a quiz anytime to quickly spot which words need more review.
Learn In Focused Groups
Words in each pack are organized into smaller, meaningful groups — not random lists. Each group contains words that share a theme, difficulty level, or frequency of appearance.
This lets you focus your learning on the words that matter most, rather than jumping between unrelated words. Start with the most commonly tested words and work your way through each group at your own pace.
Ready to boost your vocabulary?
Build Vocabulary Now