Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Stingy or mean with money: Characterized by an extreme unwillingness to spend money or share resources, often to an excessive or unpleasant degree.
   • Indicative of a lack of generosity: Describing behavior or attitudes that show a reluctance to give, even when one has the means to do so.

Examples of Usage

• Adjective:
  • His miserly uncle refused to turn on the heating, even in winter.
  • She left a miserly tip for the excellent service.
  • The company's miserly approach to employee benefits hurt morale.

Advanced Usage

• "miserly with": Used to specify what someone is unwilling to spend or share.
  • He was miserly with both his money and his praise.
  • The government has been miserly with funding for the arts.

Variants and Related Words

• Miser (n): A person who hoards wealth and spends as little money as possible.
  • In the story, the old miser lived alone in a large, cold house.
• Miserliness (n): The quality or state of being miserly.
  • His miserliness was legendary in the family.

Synonyms

• Stingy: Unwilling to give or spend.
• Parsimonious: Excessively sparing or frugal.
• Penny-pinching: Extremely careful about spending small amounts of money.
• Tightfisted: Not willing to spend or give money.

Antonyms

• Generous: Showing a readiness to give more of something than is strictly necessary.
• Lavish: Spending or giving in great amounts.
• Open-handed: Generous in giving.

Related Idioms

• "Tight as a drum": Extremely tight or stingy with money.
  • When it comes to lending money, he's as tight as a drum.
• "To pinch pennies": To be extremely careful with money, often excessively so.
  • They had to pinch pennies to get through the difficult year.

Adjective

1. (used of persons or behavior) characterized by or indicative of lack of generosity
   • a mean person
   • he left a miserly tip