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
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Recent Examples of miserly
Cygnet Theatre will present its annual production of Dickens’ redemptive holiday tale, once again starring Cygnet artistic director Sean Murray as the miserly Victorian money-lender Ebenezer Scrooge.
—
The San Diego Union Tribune, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Dec. 2024
Liverpool’s torpid display at Wembley against Newcastle will have hurt Merseyside pride, but the cost to club coffers is minimal; League Cup compensation is miserly, even for the winners.
—Chris Weatherspoon, The Athletic, 20 Mar. 2025
Florida is the only state in the geographic Deep South with a higher minimum wage than the federal government’s miserly $7.25 an hour.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 18 Mar. 2025
With the arrival of pitchers and catchers, one of the coldest and miserly baseball offseasons in memory is nearing conclusion, and it can’t be understated that, other than the Dodgers, Yankees and Mets (on one player), hardly any team spent any money.
—Bill Madden, New York Daily News, 15 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for miserly
The San Diego Union Tribune, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Dec. 2024
Liverpool’s torpid display at Wembley against Newcastle will have hurt Merseyside pride, but the cost to club coffers is minimal; League Cup compensation is miserly, even for the winners.
—Chris Weatherspoon, The Athletic, 20 Mar. 2025
Florida is the only state in the geographic Deep South with a higher minimum wage than the federal government’s miserly $7.25 an hour.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 18 Mar. 2025
With the arrival of pitchers and catchers, one of the coldest and miserly baseball offseasons in memory is nearing conclusion, and it can’t be understated that, other than the Dodgers, Yankees and Mets (on one player), hardly any team spent any money.
—Bill Madden, New York Daily News, 15 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for miserly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for miserly
Adjective
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But the opening scene underlines just how much Joel’s rash, deadly, selfish, ferociously loving decision hangs over these beloved characters.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
7 Apr. 2025
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The question many Republicans in the Capitol are asking themselves: which path will yield the least pain for selfish spoils?—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
3 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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These concerns underscore the need for careful consideration of privacy rights when deploying such technology.—
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report,
Fox News,
15 Mar. 2025
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Why America's business leaders engage in delicate diplomacy Corporate America's careful rhetoric — even as many big companies brace for the impact of the market volatility and the tariffs — illustrates the delicate diplomacy that business leaders are trying to engage in.—
Maria Aspan,
NPR,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Best Luggage and Travel Bags Deals The online retailer wasn’t being stingy with its luggage deals.—
Rylee Johnston,
Travel + Leisure,
13 Apr. 2025
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Seattle is typically stingy with first-round grades, and this may be another year in which the team’s board has maybe a dozen or so prospects with Round 1 grades.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Bulls make money, bears make money, pigs get slaughtered Cramer said the market action punished investors who’ve stayed negative, as well as short sellers and hedge funds that got greedy in the past few days.—
Russell Leung,
CNBC,
9 Apr. 2025
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There are also a number of Native American legends in which buzzards are portrayed as greedy and deceptive compared with other large birds.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Some have felt conflicted, but after decades without success and 14 years of soulless drudgery under Mike Ashley’s parsimonious ownership, many were willing to accept anything for the promise or even just the hope of better times.—
Oliver Kay,
The Athletic,
19 Mar. 2025
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His father was intensely parsimonious as well, and once tried to build a front fence by hammering bookshelves together.—
Nathan Heller,
The New Yorker,
15 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Every year, a complacent, tightfisted city council turned down the recommendations.—
Margaret Talbot,
The New Yorker,
2 Oct. 2023
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Kotick played the tightfisted owner of the Oakland A’s.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
31 May 2023
Adjective
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Often, the responsibility will be held by the mother of the bride, another close female family member, or a few family members together.—
Shelby Wax,
Vogue,
17 Apr. 2025
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The new Charlotte Knights’ manager pitched for four MLB teams from 2010 to 2015, recording 30 saves as the closer for the Chicago White Sox in 2011.—
Shane Connuck,
Charlotte Observer,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But neither can anyone seriously accuse the United States of being ungenerous with its citizens’ lives and treasure or of having no ideals.—
Joshua Landis,
Foreign Affairs,
19 Jan. 2016
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This is the problem with the show: These women are just concocting reasons why the people on the other side suck, and it’s become the most uncharitable, the most ungenerous thing on Bravo.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
15 July 2024
Cite this Entry
“Miserly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/miserly. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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