chintzy

adjective

ˈchin(t)-sē 

chintzier; chintziest

1

: decorated with or as if with chintz

2

a

: gaudy, cheap

chintzy toys

b

: stingy

chintziness noun

Synonyms

• affordable
• bargain-basement
• budget
• cheap
• cheapie
• cheapo
• cut-price [chiefly British]
• cut-rate
• dime-store
• dirt cheap
• el cheapo
• inexpensive
• low
• low-end
• popular
• reasonable

Examples of chintzy in a Sentence

The boss is chintzy about raises.

for the party I want chintzy plates that we can throw away afterward

Recent Examples on the Web

While the set seems a bit on the chintzy side, scenic designer Beowulf Boritt does his usual stellar work, assisted immensely by Ken Billington’s full-of-pizzazz lighting design. —Greg Evans, Deadline, 10 Apr. 2025

Here were decadent yet chintzy nostalgia pieces with delusions of forward momentum. —Darren Franich, Vulture, 26 Mar. 2025

The Art Deco world of Poirot has long since been concreted over by some ’70s town planners, and the Miss Marple chintzy rural drawing room is not a place that many people frequent. —Anne Victoria Clark, Vulture, 21 Mar. 2025

Basketball was so unimportant and the school was so chintzy that the athletic director, who also was the head football coach, made Sloan pay $107 out of his own pocket to have carpet installed in his dingy office. —Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel, 20 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

chintzy

adjective

ˈchin(t)-sē 

chintzier; chintziest

1

: decorated with or as if with chintz

2

a

: not tasteful or stylish

b

: of low quality

3

: stingy

chintziness noun