stingy
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stingy
Excessively frugal and unwilling to spend money or share possessions. The term has a strongly negative connotation.
Obwohl er sehr reich ist, ist er unglaublich geizig und gibt nie Trinkgeld.
Although he is very rich, he is incredibly stingy and never tips.
The adjective 'geizig' (stingy) belongs to the noun 'der Geiz' (stinginess). 'Geiz' is the quality of being excessively frugal and not wanting to share anything.
Sein Geiz ist in der ganzen Familie bekannt.
His stinginess is known throughout the whole family.
'Geizig' (stingy) is not a neutral description, but a strong criticism of a person's character. It is seen as a very negative trait.
Nenn ihn nicht sparsam, er ist einfach nur geizig!
Don't call him frugal; he's simply stingy!
In the figurative meaning, 'geizig' (stingy) is always used with the preposition 'mit' and the dative: 'geizig mit etwas sein' (to be stingy with something).
Mein alter Professor war immer sehr geizig mit guten Noten.
My old professor was always very stingy with good grades.
When someone is 'geizig mit' (stingy with) something, it is often about non-material things like 'Lob' (praise), 'Komplimenten' (compliments), 'Informationen' (information), or 'Zuneigung' (affection).
Sie ist nicht nur mit Geld, sondern auch mit ihrer Zeit sehr geizig.
She is very stingy not only with money, but also with her time.
anal
'anal' and 'geizig' can both refer colloquially to behavior that seems very controlled or sparing. The difference is important: 'geizig' clearly means that someone is reluctant to spend money or does not want to share. It is negative, but clear and direct. 'anal' originally comes from psychoanalysis and, as a description of people, is colloquial, often hurtful, and imprecise. It can mean an exaggerated sense of order, or sometimes also stinginess. Learners may confuse the words because 'anal' sometimes goes in a similar direction in this colloquial meaning. In normal German, it is better to say 'geizig' when talking about money or sharing; 'anal' is usually too casual and risky for that.
Meine Kollegin ist mit Lob sehr geizig, auch wenn das Team gute Arbeit macht.
My colleague is very stingy with praise, even when the team does good work.
Im Streit nannte er ihren Umgang mit Geld anal, aber danach entschuldigte er sich.
During the argument, he called her way of handling money anal, but afterward he apologized.