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
The tacky-meter reaches new heights when Brit presents the Housewives (of course no one else got gift bags) some of her shapewear in sad cardboard boxes without a lick of tissue paper or even a measly bow.
—
Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 26 May 2025
For the fifth Game 7 in a row, the Leafs scored one measly goal.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 19 May 2025
But the Democratic congressional leadership, with their measly 27 percent approval rating, managed to beat him to the bottom.
—Gregory Wallance, The Hill, 6 May 2025
Game 2 is Wednesday at Paycom Center after another measly 48-hour reset period.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 5 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for measly
Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 26 May 2025
For the fifth Game 7 in a row, the Leafs scored one measly goal.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 19 May 2025
But the Democratic congressional leadership, with their measly 27 percent approval rating, managed to beat him to the bottom.
—Gregory Wallance, The Hill, 6 May 2025
Game 2 is Wednesday at Paycom Center after another measly 48-hour reset period.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 5 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for measly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for measly
Adjective
-
Since 2020, public debt has surged by approximately 61%, outpacing nominal GDP growth of 38% through Q2 2025.—
Bob Haber,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Richard Kone, a goalscorer on the opening day of last season at the SToK Cae Ras in Wycombe Wanderers colours, may have been the nominal front man in a 4-2-3-1 set-up, but his link-up play and intelligent movement were matched by Harvey Vale, Koki Saito and Rumarn Burrell.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The night’s slight chill is perfect for a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon by an indoor fireplace or outdoor firepit.—
Michael Goldstein,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Julie McNamara is back developing series for CBS Studios — with one slight difference.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
When the tiny home arrives, a semi-permanent setup is as easy as leveling the surface, hooking up utilities, and anchoring the home, if desired, which can be accomplished with the help of the builder’s team.—
Maggie Horton,
PEOPLE,
14 Sep. 2025
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Every day is a new chance to accurately fix the coördinates of my appearance in clothes, to make tiny adjustments, as if focussing a lens.—
Rachel Kushner,
New Yorker,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
But those refunds were relatively paltry.—
Erin Doherty,
CNBC,
8 Sep. 2025
-
First monthly job losses in five years With the monthly revisions, standard operating procedure by the way, July’s paltry number of 22,000 jobs created was overshadowed by June’s new status as the first month since December 2020 showing a loss.—
Eli Amdur,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Measly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/measly. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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