parsimonious
/pɑː.sɪˈməʊ.ni.əs/
parsimonious means exhibiting parsimony; sparing in the expenditure of money; frugal, possibly to excess. It carries an Arena rating of 1402, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, parsimonious ranks #856 of 17,123 for Most Malleable Words, #1,039 of 17,116 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #1,056 of 17,125 for Most Incisive Words, #1,935 of 17,130 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words.
parsimonious is pronounced /pɑː.sɪˈməʊ.ni.əs/.
Why “parsimonious” is a great word
Exhibiting extreme and often excessive frugality; unwilling to spend money or use resources. From Late Latin parsimonia ("frugality, thrift"), from Latin parcere ("to spare, to be frugal"). Unlike "frugal," which suggests prudent economy, or "penurious," which emphasizes destitution, parsimonious describes a behavioral stinginess, a clenched fist regardless of means. It is the sound of a single bulb burning in a cavernous house, the precise measure of soap shavings for a wash, the cold hearth on a winter's evening—a life not of poverty, but of calculated withholding, where every potential generosity is weighed and found wanting.
adj
- Exhibiting parsimony; sparing in the expenditure of money; frugal, possibly to excess.e.g.“He was regular in his habits, parsimonious, and industrious; but he lacked all talent needed at the bar—he had neither address, nor eloquence, nor ingenuity.”
- Using a minimal number of assumptions, steps, or conjectures.e.g.“Statistical methods offer the ability to enforce parsimonious selection of the most influential potential predictors of each gene's state.”
- Not conceding many goals.
Words closest in meaning
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