as in selfish
giving or sharing as little as possible
my brother, who is notoriously miserly, surprised us when he offered to pick up the tab
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Recent Examples of miserly
Up to then, Wrexham had by far the most miserly defence in League One after conceding just 11 goals in 19 league games — five better than Birmingham City and Huddersfield Town.
—
Richard Sutcliffe, The Athletic, 23 Feb. 2025
Chrissy made a predictably miserly offer of $230,000, and obviously David did not take it.
—Laura Bradley, Vulture, 25 Mar. 2025
Liverpool’s torpid display at Wembley against Newcastle will have hurt Merseyside pride, but the cost to club coffers is minimal; League Cup compensation is miserly, even for the winners.
—Chris Weatherspoon, The Athletic, 20 Mar. 2025
Up to then, Wrexham had by far the most miserly defence in League One after conceding just 11 goals in 19 league games — five better than Birmingham City and Huddersfield Town.
—Richard Sutcliffe, The Athletic, 23 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for miserly
Richard Sutcliffe, The Athletic, 23 Feb. 2025
Chrissy made a predictably miserly offer of $230,000, and obviously David did not take it.
—Laura Bradley, Vulture, 25 Mar. 2025
Liverpool’s torpid display at Wembley against Newcastle will have hurt Merseyside pride, but the cost to club coffers is minimal; League Cup compensation is miserly, even for the winners.
—Chris Weatherspoon, The Athletic, 20 Mar. 2025
Up to then, Wrexham had by far the most miserly defence in League One after conceding just 11 goals in 19 league games — five better than Birmingham City and Huddersfield Town.
—Richard Sutcliffe, The Athletic, 23 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for miserly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for miserly
Adjective
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In the late 1800s, two child psychologists coined the term only child syndrome to describe the negative traits that their research showed only children often possess, including being spoiled, selfish, maladjusted, and anti-social.—
Liz Hammond,
Vogue,
11 June 2025
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What if the very structure of our success makes having children feel like a selfish, impossible luxury?—
Alexander Puutio,
Forbes.com,
9 June 2025
Adjective
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Watch out for slippery roads: Be extra careful during the first half hour after rain begins.—
Bay Area Weather Report,
Mercury News,
7 June 2025
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But as the Trump administration has rolled out immigration policies targeting Venezuelans, Haitians and Cubans, GOP officials in Miami have had to draw a careful balance between supporting the White House and the many immigrants in their district affected by Trump’s immigration agenda.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
6 June 2025
Adjective
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The president has a long history of being stingy with his money, choosing instead to wield his influence by bestowing endorsements and staging rallies that energize the Republican base.—
Jill Colvin,
Chicago Tribune,
22 May 2025
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Amazon isn’t being stingy with its Memorial Day sale, either.—
Rylee Johnston,
Travel + Leisure,
21 May 2025
Adjective
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Are the companies somehow less greedy in other states?—
Ted Gaines,
Oc Register,
28 May 2025
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What the greedy developers are trying to do burns me to no end.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
18 May 2025
Adjective
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This parsimonious approach protects you from overdoing it when a less resource-intensive and even faster way to get the data would have been enough.—
Julius Černiauskas,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
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Driving the reluctant interviewee to the Manchester airport for the flight to Washington, Rudman discovered that his famously parsimonious friend had only $3 in his wallet.—
Barbara A. Perry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 May 2025
Adjective
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Every year, a complacent, tightfisted city council turned down the recommendations.—
Margaret Talbot,
The New Yorker,
2 Oct. 2023
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Kotick played the tightfisted owner of the Oakland A’s.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
31 May 2023
Adjective
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When shopping for any sustainable item, such as a backpack, pay close attention to the materials used and what the brand represents.—
Donna Kim,
Travel + Leisure,
4 June 2025
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And Tanner Scott, a $72 million reigning All-Star closer, has blown several save opportunities.—
Peter Chawaga,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 June 2025
Adjective
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But, even though there was nothing the slightest bit ungracious or ungenerous about her performance, it was felt more like the audience being asked to come to her.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
26 Apr. 2025
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Perhaps most perplexing about Smash, though, is its weirdly cynical, ungenerous take on the Bombshell herself.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
10 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Miserly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/miserly. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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