niggardly
While this looks like a certain racial slur, it's really just a way of saying meager, stingy or ungenerous. If you get a niggardly share of cake, it means someone gave you a very small piece.
This word is so close to a nasty racial slur that people have gotten in trouble for using it correctly. The words are not related in any way, they just sound alike. If you use the word niggardly, and someone is taken aback or offended, they either misheard you or don't know what they are talking about. In this situation, aim for generosity. Don't be niggardly with patience and understanding of their ignorance.
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petty or reluctant in giving or spending
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Vocabulary lists containing niggardly
Schoolmaster Ichabod Crane competes for the attention of Katrina Van Tassel while being menaced by a local legend—a headless horseman who haunts the outskirts of town. Read the etexthere.
After a shipwreck separates her from her twin brother, Viola disguises herself as a man so she can pass safely through the land of Illyria. There she befriends Duke Orsino and tries to help him win the affections of Countess Olivia. Read the full text here.
Inspired by the biblical story of Cain and Abel, this novel tells the interlinked stories of the Trask and Hamilton families.