ˌən-ˈjen-rəs
as in selfish
giving or sharing as little as possible
it is ungenerous for someone of his ample means not to provide more for the care of his aging parents
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 ungenerous
If my understanding of Shortz’s motives for hiring me was a paranoid misread—ungenerous to both of us—my premonitions about the demographics and ethos of puzzle-making were eventually confirmed.
—
Anna Shechtman, The New Yorker, 18 Feb. 2024
The image of Chaplin the man had become virtually the inverse of the Tramp’s: oversexed, ungenerous, anti-American.
—Louis Menand, The New Yorker, 13 Nov. 2023
Tobin Bell returns as the twisted craftsman Jigsaw, who takes on an ungenerous American medical industry by kidnapping doctors and placing them in death traps.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 30 Sep. 2023
That ungenerous attitude toward Susie’s world hijacks the mood as the film goes full-tilt media circus lampoon.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 25 July 2023
See All Example Sentences for ungenerous
Anna Shechtman, The New Yorker, 18 Feb. 2024
The image of Chaplin the man had become virtually the inverse of the Tramp’s: oversexed, ungenerous, anti-American.
—Louis Menand, The New Yorker, 13 Nov. 2023
Tobin Bell returns as the twisted craftsman Jigsaw, who takes on an ungenerous American medical industry by kidnapping doctors and placing them in death traps.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 30 Sep. 2023
That ungenerous attitude toward Susie’s world hijacks the mood as the film goes full-tilt media circus lampoon.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 25 July 2023
See All Example Sentences for ungenerous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ungenerous
Adjective
-
Liberals without children fear they are seen as selfish careerists or libertines.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
The New Yorker,
24 Feb. 2025
-
Dropping this much weight in such a short amount of time is both dangerous and, according to his teammates, selfish.—
Mike Ryan,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Effective brainstorming sessions require careful planning and prep.—
Nora Herting,
Forbes,
19 Feb. 2025
-
Under Jones’ careful direction, the Bulldogs do not beat themselves.—
Jim Root,
The Athletic,
19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
That’s perhaps an uncharitable read on what was overall a strong game by the Rangers, who allowed a tying goal to Artturi Lehkonen with 1:13 remaining, then couldn’t convert on an overtime power play.—
Peter Baugh,
The Athletic,
15 Jan. 2025
-
Mangum wasn’t the only fraudster who preyed on the Left’s uncharitable assumptions about young white men, in particular, but non-minorities broadly.—
The Editors,
National Review,
17 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Consciously or not, Orsolya has played an active role in such urban growth; her job is to evict people from the lots that have been gobbled up by the government and/or greedy real estate developers who want to turn them into condos, chain stores, and luxury hotels.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
19 Feb. 2025
-
Many of the Bronx’s Jews were not just liberals but leftists, leading rent strikes against greedy landlords.—
Andrew Silow-Carroll,
Sun Sentinel,
12 Feb. 2025
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
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
Adjective
-
Those who are approved must cope with notoriously unreliable in-home nursing, a byproduct of the state’s penurious reimbursement rates.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
17 Jan. 2025
-
Even so, the general picture of a mother’s absence and a daughter’s understandable resentment at having had to pick up the maternal slack in penurious conditions comes through loud and clear.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Sep. 2024
Adjective
-
Continuous Development And Growth Never be lax or stingy about ongoing training, coaching and development opportunities for team members.—
Levi King,
Forbes,
26 Feb. 2025
-
That’s nearly 14 percent better than Georgia normally shoots and nearly 20 percent better than the usually stingy Gators allow.—
Joe Rexrode,
The Athletic,
25 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ungenerous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ungenerous. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share