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miserly

[mahy-zer-lee]
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adjective
  1. of, like, or befitting a miser; penurious; stingy; niggardly.
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Origin of miserly

First recorded in 1585–95; miser + -ly
Related formsmi·ser·li·ness, nounun·mi·ser·ly, adjective

Synonyms

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cheap, parsimonious.

Synonym study

See stingy1.

Antonyms

generous.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

avaricemalicegreedrecessionmoderationprudencethriftfrugalityparsimonyrapacityaviditycupiditycovetousnessstinginessmiserlinessgreedinessclosenessdisreputewickednesscorruptness

Examples from the Web for miserliness

Historical Examples

  • This customary jest about the servant's miserliness made him laugh.

    Doctor Pascal

    Emile Zola

  • We must show him that we despise his miserliness and meanness.

    Practical Ethics

    William DeWitt Hyde

  • Does economic theory throw any light on the ethics of miserliness?

  • The doctor's miserliness was not mere talk; it was real, and it had an object.

    Ursula

    Honore de Balzac

  • This miserliness had grown upon him since he had lost both wife and son.

    A Crooked Path

    Mrs. Alexander

British Dictionary definitions for miserliness

miserly

adjective
  1. of or resembling a miser; avaricious
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Derived Formsmiserliness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for miserliness

miserly

adj.

1590s, from miser + -ly (1). Related: Miserliness.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper