as in nominal
so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention
offered her guest only one measly cookie
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Recent Examples of measly
The tacky-meter reaches new heights when Brit presents the Housewives (of course no one else got gift bags) some of her shapewear in sad cardboard boxes without a lick of tissue paper or even a measly bow.
—
Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 26 May 2025
For the fifth Game 7 in a row, the Leafs scored one measly goal.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 19 May 2025
But the Democratic congressional leadership, with their measly 27 percent approval rating, managed to beat him to the bottom.
—Gregory Wallance, The Hill, 6 May 2025
Game 2 is Wednesday at Paycom Center after another measly 48-hour reset period.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 5 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for measly
Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 26 May 2025
For the fifth Game 7 in a row, the Leafs scored one measly goal.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 19 May 2025
But the Democratic congressional leadership, with their measly 27 percent approval rating, managed to beat him to the bottom.
—Gregory Wallance, The Hill, 6 May 2025
Game 2 is Wednesday at Paycom Center after another measly 48-hour reset period.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 5 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for measly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for measly
Adjective
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As California has grappled with the ghost student swarms, officials have debated instituting a nominal fee to add friction to the system of applying.—
Amanda Gerut,
Fortune,
23 Aug. 2025
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Private consumption accounted for 61.4% of India's nominal GDP in financial year ending March 2025, according to the finance ministry's monthly report published in June.—
Ayushi Jindal,
CNBC,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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On the Forest end, there is a slight sense that some fans almost relish the idea of being disliked.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
23 Aug. 2025
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New polling from Data for Progress finds a slight majority of likely voters oppose the president's plan, including 78% of Black Americans.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
23 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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These were tiny towns where restaurants serve breakfast with eggs supplied by on-property chickens and eagles are visible on mosquito-laden trails that railroad cars once trudged.—
Marcus K. Dowling,
The Tennessean,
21 Aug. 2025
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In the tall-grass prairies that once spread out across pre-settlement Indiana, tiny ground squirrels scurried through the wildflowers, grasses and shrubs.—
Karl Schneider,
IndyStar,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Newsome labored in 2024, registering just 27 tackles, an interception and five passes defended in 13 games while posting a paltry 52.2 overall rating at Pro Football Focus.—
Matthew Schmidt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Aug. 2025
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Apple's Self Service Repair program doesn't cover the Apple Watch, and on iFixit's repairability rankings, the Apple Watch Series 10 scored a paltry 3/10.—
Julian Chokkattu,
Wired News,
20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Measly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/measly. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.
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