as in nominal
so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention
offered her guest only one measly cookie
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Recent Examples of measly
What was she supposed to do after that, write a bunch of measly recipes?
—
Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 20 Dec. 2025
Northwestern had 150 total yards and 10 points in the first quarter, while Minnesota had five measly yards and zero points.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 22 Nov. 2025
One time, the entrepreneurial pair were at a McDonald’s in Hong Kong, and Gates recalled laughing when Buffett offered to foot the measly bill, pulling coupons out of his pocket.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 12 Nov. 2025
Expanding the Mac mini M4’s storage beyond the measly base 256GB SSD is eye-watering.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for measly
Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 20 Dec. 2025
Northwestern had 150 total yards and 10 points in the first quarter, while Minnesota had five measly yards and zero points.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 22 Nov. 2025
One time, the entrepreneurial pair were at a McDonald’s in Hong Kong, and Gates recalled laughing when Buffett offered to foot the measly bill, pulling coupons out of his pocket.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 12 Nov. 2025
Expanding the Mac mini M4’s storage beyond the measly base 256GB SSD is eye-watering.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for measly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for measly
Adjective
-
The war with Hezbollah launched in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks never really ended, despite a nominal ceasefire that went into effect in November 2024.—
Oren Liebermann,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Both had incumbents with nominal primary opposition, but the primaries to select a November challenger saw big spending.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The slight kitten heels add a feminine touch, while the open design keeps your feet cool all day long.—
Sophie Dodd,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Porcelain and ceramic tiles are both suitable, with porcelain offering a slight edge due to its better heat resistance.—
Kamron Sanders,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
These tiny emitters resemble miniature ski jumps that launch beams of light into free space.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Unlike crustaceans, insects developed a system of oxygen intake through tiny holes in their bodies.—
Andrew Coletti,
Popular Science,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The paltry paycheck, apparently, didn’t factor at all into her decision.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
4 Mar. 2026
-
In fact, after nearly four years of fighting, Russia controls only a fifth of Ukraine’s territory and has made paltry territorial gains since early in the war — at enormous cost.—
Bloomberg Opinion,
Twin Cities,
24 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Measly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/measly. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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