niggard

1 of 2

noun

nig·​gard ˈni-gərd 

plural niggards

see usage paragraph below

: a meanly covetous and stingy person : miser

niggard adjective

Usage of Niggard and Niggardly

The words niggard and niggardly are etymologically unrelated to the highly offensive and inflammatory racial slur euphemistically referred to as the N-word, despite the words' visual and auditory resemblance to it. Because of that resemblance, however, both niggard and niggardly are often taken to be offensive.

niggard

2 of 2

verb

niggarded; niggarding; niggards

intransitive verb

obsolete : to act niggardly

transitive verb

obsolete : to treat in a niggardly manner

Synonyms

Noun

• cheapskate
• churl
• hunks
• miser
• penny-pincher
• piker
• scrooge
• skinflint
• tightwad

Examples of niggard in a Sentence

Noun

such a niggard that he refused to hand out candy at Halloween, saying it would cost too much money

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse hnøggr niggardly; akin to Old English hnēaw niggardly

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1596, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for niggard

• sigurd
• triggered

Kids Definition

niggard

noun

nig·​gard

ˈnig-ərd

: a mean stingy person : miser

niggard adjective