Other

niggardly

Pronunciation: /ˈnɪgədli/

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Definition of niggardly

adjective

ungenerous with money, time, etc.; mean:he accused the Government of being unbelievably niggardly
meagre and given grudgingly:niggardly allowances from the Treasury a niggardly shoestring budget

adverb

archaic

in a mean or meagre manner.

Derivatives

niggardliness

Origin:

mid 16th century: from niggard + -ly¹

The word niggardly has no connection with the highly offensive term nigger, but because of the similarity of sound and its negative meaning of ‘mean, ungenerous’ many people are uncomfortable with using it for fear of causing offence, and in the US it is now widely avoided.

niggardly in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of niggardly in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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