measly

American  

[mee-zlee] / ˈmi zli /

adjective

measlier, measliest

1. Informal.

   1. contemptibly small, meager, or slight.

      They paid me a measly fifteen dollars for a day's work.

   2. wretchedly bad or unsatisfactory.

      a measly performance.

2. infected with measles, as an animal or its flesh.

3. pertaining to or resembling measles.

---

measly British  

/ ˈmiːzlɪ /

adjective

1. informal meagre in quality or quantity

2. (of meat) measled

3. having or relating to measles

---

Etymology

Origin of measly

First recorded in 1680–90; measl(es) + -y ¹

Explanation

Measly is a great word for describing an amount or number so small that it's ridiculous. You'll be disappointed (and maybe even annoyed) if you're paid a measly six dollars to babysit a toddler for two hours. If you've got a measly ten minutes to eat lunch between classes, it's a laughably short amount of time — hardly enough to unwrap your tuna sandwich. And when a detective has a measly number of clues to help her solve a crime, it can seem nearly impossible. This informal word comes from British slang, and it originally meant "affected by measles."

Example Sentences

The Bank of Canada expects the country’s resource economy to grow a measly 1.1% this year.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026

In fact, XLP has been a laggard for some time, with owners seeing a measly 16% gain over the past five years, a period when the S&P 500 gained nearly 85%.

From Barron's • Dec. 24, 2025

But in the worst-case scenario, the economy remains on a measly path.

From BBC • Nov. 29, 2025

They must bob for apples and drop them into a bucket next to their basin before rummaging through a measly pile of autumn-colored leaves in search of a golden leaf.

From Salon • Oct. 21, 2025

For all that, the school should give me and my brother, Roli, a whole library, not just a few measly textbooks.

From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina

Related Words

• meager
• miserable
• miserly
• paltry
• pitiful
• puny