as in nominal
so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention
offered her guest only one measly cookie
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Recent Examples of measly
Over the first five minutes, Texas went 2-for-5 from the field with two turnovers while mustering a measly four points.
—
Danny Davis,
Austin American Statesman,
3 Apr. 2026
Tesla’s European loss leaders include Norway, where sales dropped an astonishing 93 percent in two years, from 1,108 units in January 2024 to a measly 83 in January of this year.
—
Joe Wilkins Published Feb 18,
Futurism,
18 Feb. 2026
The real, or inflation-adjusted, increase was a measly 2% during his term — less than half a percent per year.
—
Peter St. Onge,
Boston Herald,
6 Feb. 2026
The answer ultimately lies in the inverted pyramid’s layout, a bright red steak and giant stick of butter prominently featured above a measly sliver of whole grains.
—
Tania Fabo,
USA Today,
22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for measly
Danny Davis,
Austin American Statesman,
3 Apr. 2026
Tesla’s European loss leaders include Norway, where sales dropped an astonishing 93 percent in two years, from 1,108 units in January 2024 to a measly 83 in January of this year.
—
Joe Wilkins Published Feb 18,
Futurism,
18 Feb. 2026
The real, or inflation-adjusted, increase was a measly 2% during his term — less than half a percent per year.
—
Peter St. Onge,
Boston Herald,
6 Feb. 2026
The answer ultimately lies in the inverted pyramid’s layout, a bright red steak and giant stick of butter prominently featured above a measly sliver of whole grains.
—
Tania Fabo,
USA Today,
22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for measly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for measly
Adjective
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Los Angeles stretches its NL West lead to 11 games and maintains MLB’s best record as Ohtani’s star power turns Sacramento’s nominal home crowd into a roaring Dodgers road show.
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The model produces outputs within nominal parameters, but those outputs reflect market conditions that are seconds or minutes stale.
Adjective
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In 2024, roughly 48,800 Americans died by suicide, a slight decrease from the peak of nearly 49,500 deaths in this manner in 2022.
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Matching trousers stayed narrow through the hips before loosening down the leg into a slight flare.
Adjective
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Even tiny electromagnetic disturbances can disrupt the quantum states that perform calculations, reducing the accuracy and reliability of the system.
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What Uranus will look like Uranus should resemble a tiny greenish star and will appear only about 1/63 as bright as Mars.
Adjective
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The budget is slightly smaller than the current one, sets aside $14 billion in reserves and contains a paltry menu of tax cuts worth $146 million.
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The free-agent market is paltry at best, so Guerin will likely have to make his mark via trade.
Cite this Entry
“Measly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/measly. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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