miserly
adjective
mi·ser·ly
ˈmī-zər-lē 
: of, relating to, or characteristic of a miser
especially
: marked by grasping meanness and penuriousness
The team's miserly owner refused to buy new equipment.
miserliness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of miserly in a Sentence
He was given a miserly raise.
my brother, who is notoriously miserly, surprised us when he offered to pick up the tab
Recent Examples on the Web
After scoring a miserly 12 points in the fourth quarter to allow the Nuggets to complete their comeback from 22 points down in the third, the Suns put up 15 in overtime – five of which came from Bradley Beal – and put the clamps on Denver, limiting the home team to five points in the extra period.
—
Matias Grez, CNN, 6 Mar. 2024
The reinvention still follows the familiar beats of Scrooge's Christmas haunting: Three ghosts, each representing Christmas past (Andy Serkis), present (Charlotte Riley), and future (Jason Flemyng) show the miserly businessman the error of his ways.
—Andrew Walsh, EW.com, 12 Dec. 2023
Coordinator Jesse Minter’s unit allowed 288 yards on 66 plays, a miserly average of 4.3 yards per play.
—Dan Greenspan, USA TODAY, 2 Jan. 2024
Laurie’s self-care was miserly but her affection for chosen friends was reckless and extravagant.
—A.l. Bardach, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Dec. 2023
Even then, Wilson fixated on the thematic potency of dreaming about one’s own death, as the miserly Scrooge does when he’s haunted by three ghosts in the early morning hours on Christmas.
—Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 19 Dec. 2023
Then, as president, Trump made not the slightest effort to raise the minimum wage, which remains the same miserly $7.25 an hour.
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 19 Sep. 2023
Opt for the miserly gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain and the Camry returns up to 52 mpg combined, per the EPA.
—Nicholas Wallace, Car and Driver, 21 Mar. 2023
But such is Lauren’s global influence that labeling him merely an American fashion designer feels miserly.
—Paul Croughton, Robb Report, 4 Oct. 2023
Matias Grez, CNN, 6 Mar. 2024
The reinvention still follows the familiar beats of Scrooge's Christmas haunting: Three ghosts, each representing Christmas past (Andy Serkis), present (Charlotte Riley), and future (Jason Flemyng) show the miserly businessman the error of his ways.
—Andrew Walsh, EW.com, 12 Dec. 2023
Coordinator Jesse Minter’s unit allowed 288 yards on 66 plays, a miserly average of 4.3 yards per play.
—Dan Greenspan, USA TODAY, 2 Jan. 2024
Laurie’s self-care was miserly but her affection for chosen friends was reckless and extravagant.
—A.l. Bardach, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Dec. 2023
Even then, Wilson fixated on the thematic potency of dreaming about one’s own death, as the miserly Scrooge does when he’s haunted by three ghosts in the early morning hours on Christmas.
—Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 19 Dec. 2023
Then, as president, Trump made not the slightest effort to raise the minimum wage, which remains the same miserly $7.25 an hour.
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 19 Sep. 2023
Opt for the miserly gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain and the Camry returns up to 52 mpg combined, per the EPA.
—Nicholas Wallace, Car and Driver, 21 Mar. 2023
But such is Lauren’s global influence that labeling him merely an American fashion designer feels miserly.
—Paul Croughton, Robb Report, 4 Oct. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'miserly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to miserly
Dictionary Entries Near miserly
Cite this Entry
“Miserly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/miserly. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
miserly
adjective
mi·ser·ly
ˈmī-zər-lē
: of, relating to, or characteristic of a miser
miserliness
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share