niggardly

adjective

nig·​gard·​ly ˈni-gərd-lē 

1

see usage paragraph below : grudgingly mean about spending or granting : begrudging

… management was being niggardly with raises.

—Dana Canedy

2

see usage paragraph below : provided in meanly limited supply

… niggardly funding of planetary science.

—Richard Wolkomir

niggardliness noun

niggardly adverb

Usage of Niggard and Niggardly

The words niggard and niggardly are etymologically unrelated to the highly offensive and inflammatory racial slur euphemistically referred to as the N-word, despite the words' visual and auditory resemblance to it. Because of that resemblance, however, both niggard and niggardly are often taken to be offensive.

Synonyms

• cheap
• chintzy
• close
• closefisted
• mean
• mingy
• miserly
• niggard
• parsimonious
• penny-pinching
• penurious
• pinching
• pinchpenny
• spare
• sparing
• stingy
• stinting
• tight
• tightfisted
• uncharitable
• ungenerous

Choose the Right Synonym for niggardly

stingy, close, niggardly, parsimonious, penurious, miserly mean being unwilling or showing unwillingness to share with others.

stingy implies a marked lack of generosity.

a stingy child, not given to sharing

close suggests keeping a tight grip on one's money and possessions.

folks who are very close when charity calls

niggardly implies giving or spending the very smallest amount possible.

the niggardly amount budgeted for the town library

parsimonious suggests a frugality so extreme as to lead to stinginess.

a parsimonious lifestyle notably lacking in luxuries

penurious implies niggardliness that gives an appearance of actual poverty.

the penurious eccentric bequeathed a fortune

miserly suggests a sordid avariciousness and a morbid pleasure in hoarding.

a miserly couple devoid of social conscience

Examples of niggardly in a Sentence

niggardly portions of meat for dinner

Recent Examples on the Web

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

Word History

First Known Use

1563, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

niggardly

adjective

nig·​gard·​ly ˈnig-ərd-lē 

1

: stingy sense 1, miserly

2

: characteristic of a niggard : scanty

niggardly adverb