miser

noun

mi·​ser ˈmī-zər How to pronounce miser (audio)
: a mean grasping person
a miser cackling over unexpected treasureR. T. Peterson
especially : one who is extremely stingy with money
a miser who inherited a fortune but lives in a shanty

Examples of miser in a Sentence

the miser liked to sit and play with his money
Recent Examples on the Web Major storms could surface if one partner is a spendthrift and the other is a miser. Bruce Helmer and Peg Webb, Twin Cities, 3 Feb. 2024 Death, in the form of a skeleton carrying a money bag, enters a miser’s bedroom. Brian T. Allen, National Review, 18 Jan. 2024 At the same moment, an angel asks the miser to pray to God for redemption. Brian T. Allen, National Review, 18 Jan. 2024 Linda Gefen, Boca Raton Punishing the homeless At the Dec. 19 Fort Lauderdale City Commission meeting, Commissioner Steven Glassman played the role of the cold-hearted, nasty miser Ebenezer Scrooge with aplomb. Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 3 Jan. 2024 Altruists seek to understand how their actions will affect others—while willful ignorance can free people to act selfishly By Linh Vu & Margarita Leib In the Charles Dickens story A Christmas Carol, the wealthy miser Ebenezer Scrooge has a magical, life-changing epiphany. Linh Vu, Scientific American, 11 Dec. 2023 The desire to defend him—the urge, in other words, to identify with him—even comes down to the idea of his being a miser. A.e. Stallings, The New York Review of Books, 17 Aug. 2023 To me this is a silly question asked by old quivering misers and answered with a roaring NO by their doom-gurus. Clem Chambers, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2023 Her husband is a miser. Amy Dickinson, Washington Post, 11 Jan. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'miser.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin miser miserable

First Known Use

circa 1560, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of miser was circa 1560

Dictionary Entries Near miser

Cite this Entry

“Miser.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/miser. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

miser

noun
mi·​ser ˈmī-zər How to pronounce miser (audio)
: a mean grasping person
especially : one who lives poorly in order to store away money

More from Merriam-Webster on miser

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