miserly

adjective

ˈmī-zər-lē How to pronounce miserly (audio)
Definition of miserlynext
as in selfish
giving or sharing as little as possible my brother, who is notoriously miserly, surprised us when he offered to pick up the tab

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective miserly contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of miserly are close, niggardly, parsimonious, penurious, and stingy. While all these words mean "being unwilling or showing unwillingness to share with others," miserly suggests a sordid avariciousness and a morbid pleasure in hoarding.

a miserly couple devoid of social conscience

When can close be used instead of miserly?

Although the words close and miserly 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 niggardly instead of miserly?

While the synonyms niggardly and miserly are close in meaning, niggardly implies giving or spending the very smallest amount possible.

the niggardly amount budgeted for the town library

Where would parsimonious be a reasonable alternative to miserly?

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

a parsimonious lifestyle notably lacking in luxuries

When would penurious be a good substitute for miserly?

The words penurious and miserly can be used in similar contexts, but penurious implies niggardliness that gives an appearance of actual poverty.

the penurious eccentric bequeathed a fortune

When is stingy a more appropriate choice than miserly?

While in some cases nearly identical to miserly, 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 miserly The latest Wilderness model will sport the most miserly powertrain of all the vehicles in that sub-brand, Subaru says. — Marty Padgett, The Drive, 1 Apr. 2026 Koenig’s former Yankees teammates were contemptuous of that miserly decision. — Literary Hub, 8 June 2026 The film is set in Mumbai and built around a miserly protagonist whose circumstances spiral into escalating absurdity. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 Apr. 2026 While there have been many fine adaptations of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Alastair Sim's performance as the miserly, penny-pinching Ebenezer Scrooge elevates this version to must-see status. — Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for miserly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for miserly
  1. selfish
  2. careful
  3. stingy
  4. greedy
  5. parsimonious
  6. tightfisted
  7. ungenerous
  8. tight
Adjective
  • Across 15 tracks, the rapper and producer get to work making their first proper body of work together as memorable as expected, delving into relationship mishaps, selfish tendencies, and the absurdist comedy that is real life.
    — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 25 June 2026
  • Politics, Lander said, didn’t have to be a selfish endeavor driven by ego.
    — Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 23 June 2026
Definition of selfish
Adjective
  • Determination and careful calculations — hold on, carry the 2 — are a must.
    — Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 2 July 2026
  • Graduate students face lower federal limits and the loss of Grad PLUS, requiring careful financial planning.
    — Scott White, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of careful
Adjective
  • Confessions kicked off one of the weirdest eras in a career that has never been stingy with weirdness.
    — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 3 July 2026
  • Royce Lewis and Victor Caratini hit back-to-back homers, Zebby Matthews pitched seven stingy innings and the Minnesota Twins held off a late rally by the Houston Astros for a 5-4 victory Monday night.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 30 June 2026
Definition of stingy
Adjective
  • The Sudanese conflict has conscripted the neighboring countries who are selfishly courting either faction for resources or political standing, as well as greedy, exploitative foreign powers who repeatedly leverage religious and cultural tensions in the region, into the fight for profit.
    — Janine di Giovanni, Vanity Fair, 25 June 2026
  • Next to him were Brad Lander, Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez, all left-leaning candidates running on a platform that includes abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement and taking on bad landlords and greedy corporations.
    — Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 23 June 2026
Definition of greedy
Adjective
  • This is the most parsimonious way to account for the unified nature of consciousness, according to subcorticalists.
    — Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 28 May 2026
  • The financial rewards accrued from streaming and downloading have been parsimonious.
    — Thomas Doherty, HollywoodReporter, 28 Feb. 2026
Definition of parsimonious
Adjective
  • Dobie’s cantankerous, tightfisted father and sweet, harebrained mother were played by the characters actors Frank Faylen and Florida Friebus.
    — Margalit Fox, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2022
  • The ambience reflects Hankey’s tightfisted approach to his seven companies, which include a Toyota dealership, a dealer management software developer and Midway Car Rental, which does a big business renting exotic cars.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2021
Definition of tightfisted
Adjective
  • Suzanne’s ungenerous view of herself is one of many misperceptions that will be overturned—some gently, some not.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 26 May 2026
  • There’s a generous and an ungenerous reading of Carole Radziwill returning to RHONY.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 4 May 2026
Definition of ungenerous
Adjective
  • In a massive joint operation, US Central Command – with tight coordination from US Strategic Command, US Space Command, and the US Space Force – used electromagnetic warfare to blank out a massive area over Iran.
    — David Szondy July 06, New Atlas, 7 July 2026
  • In major competitions since Euro 1984 (including the UEFA Nations League), the contests have been tight affairs that have been decided by one goal or penalties.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
Definition of tight

Browse Nearby Words

miserliness
miserly
misers
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Cite this Entry

“Miserly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/miserly. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of miserly for Spanish Speakers

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