measly

adjective

mea·​sly ˈmēz-lē 

ˈmē-zə-

measlier; measliest

1

: infected with measles

2

a

: containing larval tapeworms

b

: infested with trichinae

3

: contemptibly small

Synonyms

• chicken
• de minimis
• footling
• inconsequential
• inconsiderable
• insignificant
• Mickey Mouse
• minute
• negligible
• niggling
• no-account
• nominal
• paltry
• peanut
• petty
• picayune
• piddling
• piddly
• piffling
• pimping
• slight
• trifling
• trivial

Examples of measly in a Sentence

She complained about being given such a measly raise.

All I want is a few measly minutes of your time.

Recent Examples on the Web

For the fifth Game 7 in a row, the Leafs scored one measly goal. —Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 19 May 2025

But the Democratic congressional leadership, with their measly 27 percent approval rating, managed to beat him to the bottom. —Gregory Wallance, The Hill, 6 May 2025

Game 2 is Wednesday at Paycom Center after another measly 48-hour reset period. —Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 5 May 2025

Now they’re done after managing one measly playoff win. —James Mirtle, New York Times, 1 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

measly

adjective

mea·​sly ˈmēz-(ə-)lē 

measlier; measliest

: so small or unimportant as to deserve scorn

left a measly nickel tip

Medical Definition

measly

adjective

mea·​sly ˈmēz-(ə-)lē 

measlier; measliest

1

: infected with measles

2

a

: containing larval tapeworms

b

: infected with trichinae