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Definition of "miserly" []

  • Of, relating to, or characteristic of a miser; avaricious or penurious. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "miserly" in a sentence
  • "Proclaimed one particularly prosperous-looking woman who floated past our table on the way to raise some boat dealer's bottom line, "It's about time we spent on ourselves again ... being miserly is no fun at all!""
  • "No one uses the word “niggardly” in politics any more, no matter what degree of stinginess or miserly is intended."
  • "It also clearly illuminates where the line is, and why calling a miserly person a "Jew" is an insult (because the insinuation of miserliness is derogatory) whereas saying Asians like rice is not (because there's no derogatory insinuation)."