miserly en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˈmaɪ.zə(ɹ).li/ (UK)
- /ˈmaɪ.zəɹli/ (US)
Etymology
From miser + -ly, attested from the 1540s.
Meanings
-
Like a miser, very or objectionably cautious with money.
miserly habits
They lived under miserly conditions despite their wealth.
miserly offer
It's something that worries me about the book I'm doing about him... In some ways he's just like the racist caricature of the miserly old Jew.
1991, Art Spiegelman, Maus I: My Father Bleeds History, New York: Pantheon Books, page 131:He had a miserly attitude toward spending money.
What could be more selfish, more miserly—this in specific is what gnaws at him—than dying childless, terminating the line, subtracting oneself from the great work of generation? Worse than miserly, in fact: unnatural.
2005, J. M. Coetzee, “Three”, in Slow Man, New York: Viking, →ISBN, page 20:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more miserly | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| most miserly | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Deriveds
unmiserliness · miserlily · non-miserly · miserliness · unmiserly
Synonyms
tight-fisted · niggardly · scrooge-like · miserable · penny-pinching · peddling · tight · cheap · mean · miserly · scrubby · parsimonious · close as wax · narrow-fisted · as tight as Dick's hatband · penny-wise · cheeseparing · ungenerous · swear · close · illiberal · still got one's communion money · penurious · tight as a tick · chintzy · ungiving · shabby · stingy · nipcheese · tighter than Dick's hatband · close-fisted
Translations (81)
it avaro (stingy) · de knauserig (stingy) · sk lakomý (stingy) · nds-de näätsch (stingy) · cmn 吝嗇 /吝啬 (stingy) · ko 인색하다 (stingy) · da gnieragtig (stingy) · ko 인색한 (stingy) · pt pão-duro (stingy) · hi कंजूस (stingy) · dlm avarau (stingy) · ota پیس (stingy) · da nærig (stingy) · it tirchio (stingy) · fi nuuka (stingy) · es pesetero (stingy) · es mezquino (stingy) · es pilishne (stingy) · es cerracatín (stingy) · nds-de giezig (stingy) · bg стиснат (stingy) · es tacaño (stingy) · nds-de knickerig (stingy) · sco near the bane (stingy) · fi saita (stingy) · vi bo bo như thần giữ của (stingy) · ja けちな (stingy) · cmn 小氣 /小气 (stingy) · ur کنجوس (stingy) · ro ciufút (stingy) · ru прижи́мистый (stingy) · nds-de nährig (stingy) · fi itara (stingy) · es roñoso (stingy) · yi קמצניש (stingy) · ota پنتی (stingy) · ga sprionlaithe (stingy) · es cicatero (stingy) · fr pingre (stingy) · ga ocrach (stingy) · fr radin (stingy) · cs lakomý (stingy) · es pilinqui (stingy) · ang hnēaw (stingy) · da gerrig (stingy) · sh škrt (stingy) · ar بَخِيل (stingy) · cmn 摳 /抠 (stingy) · pl skąpy (stingy) · ru скупо́й (stingy) · gl mesquiño (stingy) · nds-de gnietschig (stingy) · fa خسیس (stingy) · de knausrig (stingy) · ru ска́редный (stingy) · ja 吝嗇な (stingy) · ota جمری (stingy) · nds-de netig (stingy) · fr chiche (stingy) · nds-de pennschieterig (stingy) · sk skúpy (stingy) · fr avare (stingy) · ru жа́дный (stingy) · gl avarento (stingy) · nds-de nötig (stingy) · be скупы (stingy) · es pilinque (stingy) · es mísero (stingy) · nds-de gnittschig (stingy) · de gierig (stingy) · vo lavarik (stingy) · pt mesquinho (stingy) · fi pihi (stingy) · grc φειδωλός (stingy) · nds-de nehrig (stingy) · es endurador (stingy) · nds-de neetsch (stingy) · de geizig (stingy) · bg скъпернически (stingy) · eo avarula (stingy) · cmn 摳門 /抠门 (stingy)