Standard Lemma guide

miserly

adj · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈmaɪ.zə(ɹ).li/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: /ˈmaɪ.zəɹli/
  • CMU ARPABET: M AY1 Z ER0 L IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Like a miser, very or objectionably cautious with money.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • miserly habits
  • miserly offer
  • He had a miserly attitude toward spending money.
  • They lived under miserly conditions despite their wealth.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: as tight as Dick's hatband, cheap, cheeseparing, chintzy, close, close as wax, close-fisted, illiberal, mean, miserable, miserly, narrow-fisted, niggardly, nipcheese, parsimonious, peddling, penny-wise, penny-pinching, penurious, scrooge-like, scrubby, shabby, still got one's communion money, stingy, swear, tight, tight-fisted, tight as a tick, tighter than Dick's hatband, ungenerous, ungiving

Antonyms: none provided

2

adjective satellite

Meaning 2

(used of persons or behavior) characterized by or indicative of lack of generosity

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a mean person
  • he left a miserly tip

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: mean, mingy, tight

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From miser + -ly, attested from the 1540s.

Across languages

Translations

81 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: بَخِيل (baḵīl) — stingy
  • Belarusian: скупы (skupy) — stingy
  • Bulgarian: стиснат (stisnat) — stingy
  • Bulgarian: скъпернически (skǎperničeski) — stingy
  • Chinese Mandarin: 吝嗇 /吝啬 (lìnsè) — stingy
  • Chinese Mandarin: 小氣 /小气 (xiǎoqì) — stingy
  • Chinese Mandarin: 摳門 /抠门 (kōumén) — stingy
  • Chinese Mandarin: 摳 /抠 (kōu) — stingy
  • Czech: lakomý — stingy
  • Dalmatian: avarau — stingy
  • Danish: gnieragtig — stingy
  • Danish: gerrig — stingy
  • Danish: nærig — stingy
  • Esperanto: avarula — stingy
  • Finnish: saita — stingy
  • Finnish: itara — stingy
  • Finnish: pihi — stingy
  • Finnish: nuuka — stingy
  • French: avare — stingy
  • French: pingre — stingy
  • French: chiche — stingy
  • French: radin — stingy
  • Galician: mesquiño — stingy
  • Galician: avarento — stingy
  • German: geizig — stingy
  • German: knauserig — stingy
  • German: knausrig — stingy
  • German: gierig — stingy
  • Ancient Greek: φειδωλός (pheidōlós) — stingy
  • Hindi: कंजूस (kañjūs) — stingy
  • Irish: ocrach — stingy
  • Irish: sprionlaithe — stingy
  • Italian: avaro — stingy
  • Italian: tirchio — stingy
  • Japanese: けちな (kechi na) — stingy
  • Japanese: 吝嗇な (rinshoku na) — stingy
  • Korean: 인색한 (insaek-han) — stingy
  • Korean: 인색하다 (insaek-hada) — stingy
  • Low German: giezig — stingy
  • Low German: gnietschig — stingy
  • Low German: gnittschig — stingy
  • Low German: knickerig — stingy
  • Low German: neetsch — stingy
  • Low German: näätsch — stingy
  • Low German: nehrig — stingy
  • Low German: nährig — stingy
  • Low German: netig — stingy
  • Low German: nötig — stingy
  • Low German: pennschieterig — stingy
  • Old English: hnēaw — stingy
  • Persian: خسیس (xasis) — stingy
  • Polish: skąpy — stingy
  • Portuguese: mesquinho — stingy
  • Portuguese: pão-duro — stingy
  • Romanian: ciufút — stingy
  • Russian: скупо́й (skupój) — stingy
  • Russian: ска́редный (skárednyj) — stingy
  • Russian: жа́дный (žádnyj) — stingy
  • Russian: прижи́мистый (prižímistyj) — stingy
  • Scots: near the bane — stingy
  • Serbo-Croatian: škrt — stingy
  • Slovak: lakomý — stingy
  • Slovak: skúpy — stingy
  • Spanish: mezquino — stingy
  • Spanish: tacaño — stingy
  • Spanish: mísero — stingy
  • Spanish: pesetero — stingy
  • Spanish: roñoso — stingy
  • Spanish: cicatero — stingy
  • Spanish: pilinque — stingy
  • Spanish: pilinqui — stingy
  • Spanish: pilishne — stingy
  • Spanish: cerracatín — stingy
  • Spanish: endurador — stingy
  • Ottoman Turkish: پنتی (pinti) — stingy
  • Ottoman Turkish: پیس (pis) — stingy
  • Ottoman Turkish: جمری (cimri) — stingy
  • Urdu: کنجوس (kañjūs) — stingy
  • Vietnamese: bo bo như thần giữ của — stingy
  • Volapük: lavarik — stingy
  • Yiddish: קמצניש (kamtsonish) — stingy