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definitions

miserly

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

Origin of miserly

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

Synonyms for miserly

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cheap, parsimonious.

Synonym study

See stingy1.

Antonyms for miserly

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

Related Words for miserliness

avarice, malice, greed, recession, moderation, prudence, thrift, frugality, parsimony, rapacity, avidity, cupidity, covetousness, stinginess, miserliness, greediness, closeness, disrepute, wickedness, corruptness

Examples from the Web for miserliness

Historical Examples of miserliness

  • 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
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.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper