Miserliest

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. The extreme unwillingness to spend money or share resources is seen as a negative trait A condition characterized by excessive penny-pinching that is often disapproved of The quality of demonstrating a profound reluctance to part with financial or material assets
2. Showing the highest degree of reluctance to part with money or possessions, often to an unreasonable extent
3. Exhibiting an exceptional level of parsimony or unwillingness to share resources

Etymology: "Miserliest" is the superlative of "miserly," so its history is really the history of the base word. "Miserly" is formed from "miser" plus the adjective-forming suffix "-ly," and it is attested in English from the 1540s. The "-ly" ending is the same one found in words like "friendly" or "lovely," and it turns a noun into a description of someone who has that quality. "Miser" is the more interesting half. It comes from Latin "miser," meaning wretched, unhappy, or pitiable, a sense that the English word kept for a long time before narrowing toward hoarding money. The idea behind the shift is that a person who starves themselves of comforts in order to keep their wealth is, in a sense, the most pitiable of figures.

Synonyms: stingiest

Antonyms: generous