miser
Americannoun
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a person who lives in wretched circumstances in order to save and hoard money.
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a stingy, avaricious person.
- Synonyms:
- pinchpenny, tightwad, skinflint
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Obsolete. a wretched or unhappy person.
noun
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a person who hoards money or possessions, often living miserably
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selfish person
noun
Etymology
Origin of miser
1535–45; < Latin: wretched
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“I’m a miser right now when it comes to what I’m spending at supermarkets,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 15, 2025
Dressed in ragged clothes, the Gloucester miser also chose to shun public transport to save his precious pennies.
From BBC • Dec. 6, 2023
A new four-episode podcast aims to show how Ebenezer Scrooge became the miserable miser of the Charles Dickens’ classic “A Christmas Carol,” focusing on themes of redemption, mercy, grace and compassion.
From Washington Times • Nov. 27, 2023
The British author’s novella about a selfish and stingy miser who becomes woke in Victorian England was an instant holiday hit when published in 1843.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 9, 2022
She saved practically all of her earnings, living like a miser, hoarding each penny.
From "Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad" by Ann Petry
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
