niggardliness 1 of 3

niggardly

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adjective

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niggardly

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adverb

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective niggardly contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of niggardly are close, miserly, parsimonious, penurious, and stingy. While all these words mean "being unwilling or showing unwillingness to share with others," niggardly implies giving or spending the very smallest amount possible.

the niggardly amount budgeted for the town library

When can close be used instead of niggardly?

Although the words close and niggardly have much in common, close suggests keeping a tight grip on one's money and possessions.

folks who are very close when charity calls

When is it sensible to use miserly instead of niggardly?

The meanings of miserly and niggardly largely overlap; however, miserly suggests a sordid avariciousness and a morbid pleasure in hoarding.

a miserly couple devoid of social conscience

Where would parsimonious be a reasonable alternative to niggardly?

The synonyms parsimonious and niggardly are sometimes interchangeable, but parsimonious suggests a frugality so extreme as to lead to stinginess.

a parsimonious lifestyle notably lacking in luxuries

When could penurious be used to replace niggardly?

While in some cases nearly identical to niggardly, penurious implies niggardliness that gives an appearance of actual poverty.

the penurious eccentric bequeathed a fortune

When would stingy be a good substitute for niggardly?

The words stingy and niggardly can be used in similar contexts, but stingy implies a marked lack of generosity.

a stingy child, not given to sharing

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of niggardliness
Adjective
Many Chileans are angry about the country’s unequal distribution of wealth and power, about niggardly pensions (for which people are supposed to save themselves) and about long waiting times for doctors’ visits and poor schools. The Economist, 25 Dec. 2019 To tap one of the country’s two largest and most niggardly mines is hard enough. The Economist, 3 Feb. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for niggardliness
Noun
  • Trump believes that higher interest rates are holding back the American economy, and Powell's refusal to cut the rates has caused Trump no end of frustration.
    Amanda Castro Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 June 2025
  • While investors have their fingers crossed for a soft landing by the U.S. economy, how bad can things get if there is another recession?
    Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
Adjective
  • The Athletics, despite their miserly ways, have a strong foundation of young players — Silver Slugger Brent Rooker, Lawrence Butler, Jacob Wilson, JJ Bleday, Shea Langeliers, Zack Gelof, and this year’s #4 pick in the draft, Nick Kurtz.
    Dan Freedman, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
  • But the approval process has been slow, the discounts vary from carrier to carrier, the requirements coming from insurers don’t always match the state’s own standards and the savings on offer are, according to some, miserly.
    CalMatters, Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • High-Potential, Untapped Markets I’m inspired by what others ignore—those quiet gaps where attention is scarce but potential is high, like a niche market with growing demand but little innovation.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
  • Evidence for the exact state of health of prehistoric humans is scarce.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 June 2025
Adjective
  • While the latest inflation and jobs market reports showed that any disruption caused by tariffs has so far been minor, the Fed is clearly being careful about what could happen in the coming weeks and months.
    Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 June 2025
  • For most, wealth results from years of hard work, careful planning, and disciplined saving.
    Georgette Virgo, USA Today, 19 June 2025
Adjective
  • Seek out tacit knowledge that is not documented anywhere or is sparse but will be key in driving successful autonomous decisions. 4.
    Lucas Persona, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025
  • This is an area of space where gas in the interstellar medium is relatively sparse, with an overall low density.
    Keith Cooper, Space.com, 16 June 2025
Adjective
  • Behind a stingy defensive performance, the Valkyries defeated the Storm 76-70 on Saturday to win their third straight game.
    Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 14 June 2025
  • Nationally, the stingiest bosses were in Louisiana, who gave only 2.8% raises late last year.
    Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 6 June 2025
Adjective
  • This parsimonious approach protects you from overdoing it when a less resource-intensive and even faster way to get the data would have been enough.
    Julius Černiauskas, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025
  • Driving the reluctant interviewee to the Manchester airport for the flight to Washington, Rudman discovered that his famously parsimonious friend had only $3 in his wallet.
    Barbara A. Perry, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 May 2025
Adjective
  • Iran is not a backward place, even if its current government is backward-looking and selfish.
    Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 24 June 2025
  • There’s nobody selfish, one through nine, and the bench players, too.
    Mitch Sherman, New York Times, 21 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Niggardliness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/niggardliness. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.

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