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miserlyextremely reluctant to spend money; very stingy

Part of speech: ADJECTIVE

Definition: extremely reluctant to spend money; very stingy

Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈmaɪzərli/

Example Sentences

  • The miserly millionaire wore the same worn-out suit for twenty years.
  • She's so miserly that she counts every grain of rice before cooking.
  • His miserly nature prevented him from enjoying life's simple pleasures.

miserly

ADJECTIVE

[/ˈmaɪzərli/]

extremely reluctant to spend money; very stingy

The miserly old man counts every coin twice before locking his chest.
💡 Concept

The miserly old man counts every coin twice before locking his chest.

Wizardly in power, cowardly and miserly in heart!
🎵 Rhyme

Wizardly in power, cowardly and miserly in heart!

Got the picture? Now let's practice.

🎤Pronunciation

🇺🇸 US/ˈmaɪzərli/
🇬🇧 UK/ˈmaɪzəli/

🌳Etymology

Rootmiser
Suffix--ly

Origin

The word derives from Middle French 'misere' (wretchedness, misery), which originally referred to a state of poverty or distress. Over time, it acquired the sense of an obsessive, wretched attachment to money, describing someone miserable in their stinginess.

Breakdown

misere (wretchedness, misery) + -ly (adjective suffix forming descriptive words). The suffix -ly transforms the noun concept of misery into an adjectival quality describing a person's character or behavior.

🎵Rhyme

wizardlycowardly
wizardly
cowardly

🔗Collocations

miserly attitude
miserly behavior
miserly old man
miserly spending habits
act miserly
miserly with money

📝Examples

😄 Fun example

The miserly millionaire wore the same worn-out suit for twenty years.

😄 Fun example

She's so miserly that she counts every grain of rice before cooking.

His miserly nature prevented him from enjoying life's simple pleasures.

The miserly landlord refused to fix the heating even in winter.

📚Related Words

Synonyms

stingycheaptight-fistedpenny-pinchingfrugal

Antonyms

generouslavishextravagant

Related

miseravaricegreedthriftparsimony

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