measly

adjective

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mea·sly | \ ˈmēz-lē

, ˈmē-zə- \

measlier; measliest

Definition of measly

1 : infected with measles

2a : containing larval tapeworms

b : infested with trichinae

3 : contemptibly small

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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 Getting a franchise quarterback for a measly second-round pick (43rd overall) is the steal of the century. — Ben Volin, BostonGlobe.com, "The Jimmy Garoppolo deal actually worked out well for both the Patriots and 49ers," 21 Jan. 2020 Then there's the Titan arum, also known as the corpse flower, that is native to Indonesia and even rarer, blooming every 4-6 years for a measly 24-48 hours. — Daisy Hernandez, Popular Mechanics, "The World's Largest Flower Absolutely Reeks," 19 Jan. 2020 Jordan Ayew has sparkled up top for Hodgson, already quadrupling his measly tally of one goal from 2018/19 for Palace. — SI.com, "Crystal Palace vs Leicester City: Where to Watch, Live Stream, Kick Off Time & Team News," 31 Oct. 2019 Shot on a measly $2 million budget, the movie stars André Holland as an NBA agent working behind the scenes to end a financially devastating lockout. — Adam Epstein, Quartzy, "Seven fantastic, under-the-radar movies you may have missed in 2019," 7 Dec. 2019 Traded to the Seahawks for a measly seventh-round pick in April, Hollister has been a revelation the last two weeks. — BostonGlobe.com, "“It’s fun to see that there’s people that strategize in the game, they don’t just do the same things over and over,” Henning, retired in Florida, said by telephone this past week.," 16 Nov. 2019 But whereas Amazon’s international e-commerce sales grew by a comparatively measly 12% year on year in the second quarter, the upstarts’ sales are rising by high double digits or more, as the emerging world embraces the virtual one. — The Economist, "Baby Amazons take on their American role model," 1 Aug. 2019 Of course, Allen was way too elated to be meeting Markle (and get a hug from her) to care about the measly makeup stain. — Kaleigh Fasanella, Allure, "Meghan Markle’s Makeup Mishap Is All Too Relatable," 8 Nov. 2019 The Dolphins had to make the trade for a measly sixth-round pick, if just to take down the chances for Drake having a dynamic play to change a game. — Dave Hyde, sun-sentinel.com, "Hyde10: Ten thoughts on Dolphins’ 27-14 loss to Steelers," 29 Oct. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'measly.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

28 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Measly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/measly. Accessed 29 Jan. 2020.

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More Definitions for measly

measly

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of measly

informal + disapproving : very small or too small in size or amount

See the full definition for measly in the English Language Learners Dictionary

measly

adjective

mea·sly | \ ˈmēz-lē

measlier; measliest

Kids Definition of measly

: so small or unimportant as to be rejected with scorn They left a measly tip for the waiter.

measly

adjective

mea·sly | \ ˈmēz-(ə-)lē

measlier; measliest

Medical Definition of measly

1 : infected with measles

2a : containing larval tapeworms

b : infected with trichinae

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measly

Definition of measly

Synonyms & Antonyms for measly

Examples of measly in a Sentence

First Known Use of measly

Learn More about measly

Dictionary Entries near measly

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English Language Learners Definition of measly

Kids Definition of measly