To save this word, you'll need to log in.
Definition of niggardly
1 : grudgingly mean about spending or granting : begrudging … management was being niggardly with raises.— Dana Canedy
2 : provided in meanly limited supply
… niggardly funding of planetary science.— Richard Wolkomir
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Test Your Vocabulary
Semantic Drift Quiz
- Which of the following was once a synonym for fun?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
Share niggardly
Time Traveler for niggardly
The first known use of niggardly was in 1563
See more words from the same year