as in economy
the quality or practice of being overly sparing with money
remembered for her legendary niggardliness, financier Hetty Green lived the life of a pauper but died with a net worth of over $100 million
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in miserly
giving or sharing as little as possible
They were shocked when the company's niggardly owner at long last gave out raises.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in scarce
less plentiful than what is normal, necessary, or desirable
niggardly portions of meat for dinner
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in stingily
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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
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
-
Tourism gradually dried up, starving its economy of billions of dollars in annual spending.—
Kareem Chehayeb,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2025
-
The theory pushing for reporting burdens as the primary explanation will have to explain why UK reporting and reporting in other advanced economies has also become onerously burdensome.—
Shivaram Rajgopal,
Forbes.com,
8 June 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
Newcastle's player sale profits were miserly for years until June 2024 Profit on player sales from 2014 to 2024 (£millions) Column chart of Newcastle United profit on player sales, where club record £69.8m in 2023-24 far outweigh what came before.—
Chris Weatherspoon,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
That's key in a country where good-paying jobs are scarce.—
Omkar Khandekar,
NPR,
8 June 2025
-
But information about food availability has been scarce by all accounts.—
Juliette Kayyem,
The Atlantic,
6 June 2025
Adjective
-
Watch out for slippery roads: Be extra careful during the first half hour after rain begins.—
Bay Area Weather Report,
Mercury News,
7 June 2025
-
But as the Trump administration has rolled out immigration policies targeting Venezuelans, Haitians and Cubans, GOP officials in Miami have had to draw a careful balance between supporting the White House and the many immigrants in their district affected by Trump’s immigration agenda.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
6 June 2025
Adjective
-
The risk was getting waived and wallowing in the G League with sparse crowds, commercial travel between remote locales and a dog-eat-dog team culture for as little as $40,500.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 May 2025
-
Soto, meanwhile, received a smattering of boos from a sparse crowd, particularly after a seventh-inning groundout.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
28 May 2025
Adjective
-
The president has a long history of being stingy with his money, choosing instead to wield his influence by bestowing endorsements and staging rallies that energize the Republican base.—
Jill Colvin,
Chicago Tribune,
22 May 2025
-
Amazon isn’t being stingy with its Memorial Day sale, either.—
Rylee Johnston,
Travel + Leisure,
21 May 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
But the iPhone 17 Air’s parsimonious speaker holes might suggest a phone with less capable audio.—
David Phelan,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
According to sources, some felt the decision was selfish, but others thanked her for her longstanding contributions in person and online, and felt the way in which the situation had unfolded was very unfair to her.—
Charlotte Harpur,
New York Times,
28 May 2025
-
Despite mixed emotions within his friend group, Reddit users were overwhelmingly on the poster's side, with many arguing that Jenna was being selfish.—
Virginia Chamlee,
People.com,
24 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Niggardliness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/niggardliness. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share