niggardly
Unwilling to share
Niggardly means stingy or miserly, reluctant to give or spend: He was niggardly with praise.
The niggardly portions left everyone hungry.
The word derives from Middle English *nigard* (miser), probably from Scandinavian roots—it has no etymological connection to the racial slur.
However, the phonetic resemblance has caused controversy: people have been fired or reprimanded for using niggardly despite its innocent meaning.
This has made the word effectively radioactive—most writers now avoid it regardless of etymology, choosing *stingy*, *miserly*, or *parsimonious* instead.
The controversy illustrates how sound can overwhelm sense in charged contexts.
Excessively reluctant to spend
- tightfistedUnwilling to spend freely
- closefistedReluctant to give money
- penuriousExcessively frugal or poor
- ungenerousUnwilling to give freely
mean · cheap · grudging · chintzy · tight · pinchpenny · skinflint · parsimonious
Barely adequate amount
- sparseThinly scattered or distributed
- paltryContemptibly meager
- skimpyInadequate in size or amount
- insufficientBelow required quantity
inadequate · measly · scanty · slight · bare · minimal · limited · deficient
Prudent with resources
- economicalUsing resources sparingly
- sparingUsing resources minimally
- prudentExercising sound judgment
- carefulExercising caution and attention
conservative · chary · cautious · abstemious · ascetic · spartan · self-denying · restrained
miserly
Excessively reluctant to spend
- tightfistedUnwilling to spend freely
- closefistedReluctant to give money
- penuriousExcessively frugal or poor
ungenerous · mean · cheap · grudging · chintzy · tight · pinchpenny · skinflint · parsimonious · scrimping
scant
Barely adequate amount
insufficient · inadequate · measly · scanty · slight · bare · minimal · limited · deficient · scarce
thrifty
Prudent with resources
- economicalUsing resources sparingly
- sparingUsing resources minimally
- prudentExercising sound judgment
careful · conservative · chary · cautious · abstemious · ascetic · spartan · self-denying · restrained · measured
- stinginessstinginess, miserliness, miserly, penny-pinching, stingy
- Money-Saving Wordsthrifty, frugal, economical, budget-conscious, cost-conscious
niggardlygenerous
Willing to give freely
munificent · lavish · liberal · openhanded · freehanded