miserly
Americanadjective
adjective
Synonym Usage
See stingy 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of miserly
Explanation
Miserly people are stingy with their money and not likely to be generous, like Ebenezer Scrooge himself. The adjective miserly evolved from the Latin word miser, which means “unhappy, wretched.” Nowadays, it's generally used to describe someone who hoards their money and presumably is miserable because of it. But be careful not to mix up the word miserly with misery — even though it can often be the unfortunate mental outcome of interacting with a miserly individual.
Vocabulary lists containing miserly
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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More Negative Words to Describe a Person
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Curmudgeon, Cantankerous and Churlish: Grouchy Words
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Miserly neighbors, witch hunts, and ghostly homes—oh my!
From Slate • Oct. 31, 2023
Miserly Ebenezer Scrooge must face uncomfortable truths when three Christmas spirits take him on a journey through his past, present and future.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 25, 2019
According to one study, titled Misery Is Not Miserly, you are more likely to spend more on a product if you’re feeling sad.
From The Guardian • Sep. 16, 2018
Miserly, always shabbily dressed, old August Thyssen used to drink beer and eat wurst with his workers.
From Time Magazine Archive
Miserly and spiteful, he was jealous of the Coupeaus in their success, and rejoiced at their downfall.
From A Zola Dictionary; the Characters of the Rougon-Macquart Novels of Emile Zola; by Patterson, J. G
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
