niggardly

[ nig-erd-lee ]

/ ˈnɪg ərd li /

Sometimes Offensive.

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adjective

reluctant to give or spend; stingy; miserly.

meanly or ungenerously small or scanty: a niggardly tip to a waiter.

adverb

in a stingy, miserly, or tight-fisted manner.

OTHER WORDS FOR niggardly

1 penurious, miserly, mean, tight, avaricious, mercenary, illiberal, close.

2 poor.

OPPOSITES FOR niggardly

1 generous.

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Origin of niggardly

First recorded in 1520–30; niggard + -ly

usage note for niggardly

See niggard.

OTHER WORDS FROM niggardly

nig·gard·li·ness, noun

Words nearby niggardly

Nigerien, Niger-Kordofanian, Niger seed, nigga, niggard, niggardly, nigger, nigger heaven, niggle, niggling, nigh

British Dictionary definitions for niggardly

niggardly

/ (ˈnɪɡədlɪ) /

adjective

stingy or ungenerous

meagrea niggardly salary

adverb

stingily; grudgingly

Derived forms of niggardly

niggardliness, 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