Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Thesaurus

miserly

adjective

Synonyms and Antonyms of miserly

giving or sharing as little as possible
  • My brother, who is notoriously miserly, surprised us when he offered to pick up the tab.
Synonyms of miserly

cheap, chintzy, close, closefisted, mean, niggard, niggardly, parsimonious, penny-pinching, penurious, spare, sparing, stingy, stinting, tight, tightfisted, uncharitable, ungenerous
Words Related to miserly

careful, chary, conserving, economical, economizing, frugal, saving, scrimping, skimping, thrifty

acquisitive, avaricious, covetous, grasping, greedy, hoggish, mercenary, rapacious

begrudging, envious, grudging, resentful

inhospitable
Near Antonyms of miserly

altruistic, selfless, unselfish

extravagant, lavish, overgenerous, profuse

beneficent, benevolent, hospitable, humanitarian, philanthropic (also philanthropical)

compassionate, good-hearted, greathearted, kindly, magnanimous, openhearted

thriftless, unthrifty

dissipating, frittering, prodigal, profligate, spendthrift, splurging, squandering, wasteful, wasting
Antonyms of miserly

bounteous, bountiful, charitable, freehanded, generous, liberal, munificent, openhanded, unsparing, unstinting

Synonym Discussion of miserly

stingy, close, niggardly, parsimonious, penurious, miserly mean being unwilling or showing unwillingness to share with others. stingy implies a marked lack of generosity.
    • a stingy child, not given to sharing
close suggests keeping a tight grip on one's money and possessions.
    • folks who are very close when charity calls
niggardly implies giving or spending the very smallest amount possible.
    • the niggardly amount budgeted for the town library
parsimonious suggests a frugality so extreme as to lead to stinginess.
    • a parsimonious lifestyle notably lacking in luxuries
penurious implies niggardliness that gives an appearance of actual poverty.
    • the penurious eccentric bequeathed a fortune
miserly suggests a sordid avariciousness and a morbid pleasure in hoarding.
    • a miserly couple devoid of social conscience

Learn More about miserly

  1. Dictionary: Definition of miserly Spanish Central: Translation of miserly Nglish: Translation of miserly for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of miserly for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up miserly? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games