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
Now they’re done after managing one measly playoff win.
—
James Mirtle, New York Times, 1 May 2025
Audiences stayed on the ride, giving a film made on a measly $4.5 million budget a substantial $45.4 million worldwide take at the box office.
—EW.com, 28 Apr. 2025
And in fairness, these devices have lasted far beyond Google's measly five-year commitment.
—Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 25 Apr. 2025
The new deck team does an excellent job docking the boat, and at the tip meeting, each crew member banks $1,153 from a measly $15,000 total tip, which the captain assures is not reflective of their good work through the weekend.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for measly
James Mirtle, New York Times, 1 May 2025
Audiences stayed on the ride, giving a film made on a measly $4.5 million budget a substantial $45.4 million worldwide take at the box office.
—EW.com, 28 Apr. 2025
And in fairness, these devices have lasted far beyond Google's measly five-year commitment.
—Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 25 Apr. 2025
The new deck team does an excellent job docking the boat, and at the tip meeting, each crew member banks $1,153 from a measly $15,000 total tip, which the captain assures is not reflective of their good work through the weekend.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for measly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for measly
Adjective
-
While that may seem nominal, its underlying business is more profitable.—
Ryan Baker,
CNBC,
14 June 2025
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Ethiopia is projected to lose the most aid in nominal terms, with Jordan, Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo also hit particularly hard.—
Lauren Kent,
CNN Money,
12 June 2025
Adjective
-
Bure may not have meant it as a slight, but one of the more notable offenders was Growing Pains, which costarred her brother, Kirk Cameron.—
Jordan Hoffman,
EW.com,
13 June 2025
-
In a slight twist on the usual, the chefs not only get to choose their own sous-chefs, but only those sous-chefs have been flown to Italy for the occasion.—
Caroline Framke,
Vulture,
13 June 2025
Adjective
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In 1972, the company switched to Smith, naming the shoes in his honor and printing a tiny picture of his mustachioed face on them.—
Sam Farmer,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2025
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McCartney, who played a residency at New York’s tiny Bowery Ballroom back in February, has no tour dates presently on his 2025 calendar.—
Daniel Kreps,
Rolling Stone,
8 June 2025
Adjective
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This paltry increase is even more worrying given drastic price cuts seen in the EV market in 2024.—
Ashley Nunes,
Boston Herald,
7 June 2025
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The total in the first quarter of 2017 was a paltry $15,232.—
Ken Roberts,
Forbes.com,
4 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Measly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/measly. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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