What does niggard mean?
Niggard names a person who is stingy with money, reluctant to share resources, and unwilling to give generously. Its tone is strongly disapproving, and in contemporary English it sounds literary, old-fashioned, or deliberately archaic rather than neutral; the adjective “niggard” survives chiefly in the same elevated register. A niggard, for example, may hoard even a small sum, refuse to contribute to a shared expense, or begrudge praise as well as money. The word should not be confused with the racial slur that resembles it in spelling; they have unrelated meanings, and the similarity is sometimes exploited by writers to refer to a miser. Although usage has declined, niggard remains useful because it compresses a particular kind of miserliness into a compact, historically resonant label. In ordinary discussion, miser, skinflint, or tightwad will usually sound more natural, but niggard can give formal or sardonic prose a sharper edge and a sense of deliberate old-world diction.
A person who is stingy with money or possessions and reluctant to give or share.
"He was a notorious niggard who counted every coin twice before spending it."
Archaic or literary: stingy, miserly, or unwilling to give.
"He was niggard with his time as well as with his money."
This adjective use is now archaic and literary rather than part of ordinary contemporary vocabulary.
The regular plural is used for multiple people characterized by stinginess.
"The two niggards argued over who should pay for the meal."
Niggard is an old-fashioned verbal scalpel for a miser: compact, cutting, and unmistakably literary.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Words that share this root
Related word forms
How niggard is actually used
The noun is chiefly literary, archaic, or deliberately old-fashioned in modern English. It is strongly disapproving and may suggest not merely careful spending but unwillingness to share or give. The adjective is even more restricted and sounds markedly formal or antiquated.
Easily confused with niggard
Niggard denotes a stingy or miserly person, whereas the similarly spelled word is an offensive racial slur with an entirely different origin and meaning.