How to Use measly in a Sentence

measly

adjective
  • All I want is a few measly minutes of your time.
  • She complained about being given such a measly raise.
  • One bag serves three hearty portions, or four measly ones.
    — Alex Beggs, Bon Appetit Magazine, 25 Apr. 2026
  • Their hair was burnt down to a few measly centimeters from the scalp.
    — TIME.com, 6 Aug. 2017
  • Step back, zoom out, stop clinging to your measly private past.
    — Willing Davidson, The New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2023
  • What was she supposed to do after that, write a bunch of measly recipes?
    — Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 20 Dec. 2025
  • They'll also be fined for it—and not just a measly amount, either.
    — Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 11 June 2026
  • And Texas had mustered just one measly road win in five attempts.
    — Nick Moyle, San Antonio Express-News, 4 June 2018
  • Installing an awning can double your measly square footage and make your van even more livable.
    — Cristina Moody, Washington Post, 21 Dec. 2023
  • The Preds have the worst record in the entire league, with a measly 20 points.
    — Nate Rau, Axios, 13 Dec. 2024
  • That means the government was paid a measly export duty on it.
    — Nataliya Vasilyeva, The Seattle Times, 27 Apr. 2017
  • What went less noticed is the defense allowed a measly eight points a game during that stretch.
    — oregonlive, 9 Sep. 2021
  • Paul was a measly 2-8 from the floor, scoring only seven points.
    — Don Yaeger, Forbes, 18 Apr. 2023
  • In an Instant Pot, you'll be done with the whole process in a measly 5 minutes.
    — Audrey Bruno, SELF, 8 Mar. 2018
  • For a team that could score 74 points in a half, what’s a measly 14-point margin to overcome?
    — Bob Ford, Philly.com, 16 Apr. 2018
  • Doss, who shot the lights out against the Shamrocks, went a measly 2/11 from 3-point range.
    — J.l. Kirven, The Courier-Journal, 15 Jan. 2022
  • Rafter, like the great Sampras, did reach number one in the rankings -- but only for one measly week.
    — OregonLive.com, 27 June 2017
  • The measly total of just seven points in the first quarter this season runs counter to claiming early leads.
    — Tom Krasovic, sandiegouniontribune.com, 18 Oct. 2017
  • In one practice game, the team allowed just one run in 14 innings but the offense failed to match that measly amount.
    — Robert Avery, Houston Chronicle, 26 Feb. 2020
  • The Ravens are two-and-a-half-point home favorites with the total sitting at a measly 35 points.
    — Nick Hennion, Chicago Tribune, 1 Jan. 2023
  • The measly windows facing the Atlantic were jettisoned—as were a wall or two—and a view was born.
    — David Colman, ELLE Decor, 31 Oct. 2022
  • Tonight, the Heat are a one-and-a-half-point road favorite with the total set at a measly 219 points.
    — Nick Hennion, Chicago Tribune, 20 Jan. 2023
  • Over the first five minutes, Texas went 2-for-5 from the field with two turnovers while mustering a measly four points.
    — Danny Davis, Austin American Statesman, 3 Apr. 2026
  • Of course, Allen was way too elated to be meeting Markle (and get a hug from her) to care about the measly makeup stain.
    — Kaleigh Fasanella, Allure, 8 Nov. 2019
  • Social media seems to have decided that the Rams stole an all-pro corner from the Chiefs at a measly price.
    — Albert Breer, SI.com, 1 Mar. 2018
  • Measuring just 20 miles wide, MU69 appeared to be a measly speck in the sky.
    — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 10 Aug. 2017
  • After all, more than 200 moons zing around the measly eight planets in our own Solar System.
    — Daniel Clery, Science | AAAS, 22 July 2021
  • The Dolphins had to make the trade for a measly sixth-round pick, if just to take down the chances for Drake having a dynamic play to change a game.
    — Dave Hyde, sun-sentinel.com, 29 Oct. 2019
  • The real, or inflation-adjusted, increase was a measly 2% during his term — less than half a percent per year.
    — Peter St. Onge, Boston Herald, 6 Feb. 2026
  • In the midst of a winless homestand, all the Wild needed to do Thursday night was win one measly period.
    — Michael Russo, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'measly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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