niggardly 1 of 2

adjective

ˈni-gərd-lē How to pronounce niggardly (audio)
Definition of niggardlynext
1
as in miserly
giving or sharing as little as possible They were shocked when the company's niggardly owner at long last gave out raises.

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in scarce
less plentiful than what is normal, necessary, or desirable niggardly portions of meat for dinner

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

niggardly

2 of 2

adverb

as in stingily

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective niggardly contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of niggardly are close, miserly, parsimonious, penurious, and stingy. While all these words mean "being unwilling or showing unwillingness to share with others," niggardly implies giving or spending the very smallest amount possible.

the niggardly amount budgeted for the town library

When can close be used instead of niggardly?

Although the words close and niggardly have much in common, close suggests keeping a tight grip on one's money and possessions.

folks who are very close when charity calls

When is it sensible to use miserly instead of niggardly?

The meanings of miserly and niggardly largely overlap; however, miserly suggests a sordid avariciousness and a morbid pleasure in hoarding.

a miserly couple devoid of social conscience

Where would parsimonious be a reasonable alternative to niggardly?

The synonyms parsimonious and niggardly are sometimes interchangeable, but parsimonious suggests a frugality so extreme as to lead to stinginess.

a parsimonious lifestyle notably lacking in luxuries

When could penurious be used to replace niggardly?

While in some cases nearly identical to niggardly, penurious implies niggardliness that gives an appearance of actual poverty.

the penurious eccentric bequeathed a fortune

When would stingy be a good substitute for niggardly?

The words stingy and niggardly can be used in similar contexts, but stingy implies a marked lack of generosity.

a stingy child, not given to sharing

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of niggardly
Adjective
Many Chileans are angry about the country’s unequal distribution of wealth and power, about niggardly pensions (for which people are supposed to save themselves) and about long waiting times for doctors’ visits and poor schools. — The Economist, 25 Dec. 2019 To tap one of the country’s two largest and most niggardly mines is hard enough. — The Economist, 3 Feb. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for niggardly
  1. miserly
  2. scarce
  3. careful
  4. sparse
  5. stingy
  6. parsimonious
  7. selfish
  8. close
Adjective
  • With the arrival of pitchers and catchers, one of the coldest and miserly baseball offseasons in memory is nearing conclusion, and it can’t be understated that, other than the Dodgers, Yankees and Mets (on one player), hardly any team spent any money.
    — Bill Madden, New York Daily News, 15 Feb. 2025
  • One of the things that bedeviled American politics this century is our close elections, which has made our parties and their leaders miserly with their political capital.
    — Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 21 Jan. 2025
Definition of miserly
Adjective
  • When football resumed, money was scarce and plans for a new bridge into Salford and a car park were delayed.
    — Michael Walker, The Athletic, 15 Mar. 2025
  • The bottom line: Fintech IPOs have been scarce, but a successful Klarna listing could lead to more.
    — Ryan Lawler, Axios, 14 Mar. 2025
Definition of scarce
Adjective
  • These concerns underscore the need for careful consideration of privacy rights when deploying such technology.
    — Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report, Fox News, 15 Mar. 2025
  • To make the most of spring planting, start with site preparation and careful plant selection.
    — Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 14 Mar. 2025
Definition of careful
Adjective
  • Team Harris’s strategy appeared to rely heavily on a short campaign window, with a sparse interview schedule, slow windup to unscripted events, and ambiguous policy positions.
    — W. James Antle III, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 14 Mar. 2025
  • But as lashes become shorter, thinner, and more sparse over time, the best mascara for older women step in to lift the lashes—and the spirits—up.
    — Jenny Berg, Vogue, 13 Mar. 2025
Definition of sparse
Adjective
  • Endowments are likely to become even more important as the federal government gets stingier with its support for higher education.
    — Emma Whitford, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
  • The game matches the conference’s highest-scoring offense (New Mexico at 82.9 points per game) against its stingiest defense (SDSU at 63.1).
    — Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2025
Definition of stingy
Adjective
  • To attribute the corrosion of institutional trust to such bugbears as relativism or postmodernism is to ignore explanations that are both more concrete and more parsimonious.
    — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2025
  • In a perfect and parsimonious world, a single two-stage spacecraft would land on Mars, scoop up soil samples in situ, and transfer them to an ascent stage which would blast off into orbit.
    — Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 13 Jan. 2025
Definition of parsimonious
Adjective
  • Just his demeanor, the way he was still connected with us, not really playing selfish in any way.
    — Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 8 Mar. 2025
  • Raq is a master manipulator who claims to value loyalty above all else, especially from her henchmen brothers Marvin (London Brown) and Lou (Malcolm Mays) and her only son, yet constantly destabilizes the three of them with selfish mind games and power plays that genuinely harm them.
    — Robyn Bahr, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2025
Definition of selfish
Adjective
  • Many close followers of Barca have remarked on how players seem to understand what the coach wants of them perfectly, which had not always been the case in previous seasons.
    — Laia Cervelló Herrero, The Athletic, 13 Mar. 2025
  • However, a small portion of them, known as potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs), do require closer monitoring.
    — Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 12 Mar. 2025
Definition of close

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Cite this Entry

“Niggardly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/niggardly. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.

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