Meaning
A miser is a person who loves money and possessions so much that they hate spending them, even on necessary things. It often carries a negative nuance, suggesting greed and stinginess.
Grammar and Usage
- Part of speech: Noun
- Plural: misers
- Typical use: to describe someone’s character or behavior toward money.
- Often used with verbs like be, act like, or live like.
Structure:
- be (a) miser
- live like a miser
- act like a miser
Common Phrases
- a penny-pinching miser – someone extremely unwilling to spend money
- live like a miser – to live very frugally
- old miser – often used to describe a grumpy, stingy old person
Collocations
- stingy miser
- wealthy miser
- greedy miser
- mean old miser
- miserly habits
Examples
- The old miser hid his money under the floorboards.
- Don’t be such a miser—buy yourself something nice!
- Although he was rich, he lived like a miser.
- The story’s main character is a miser who learns the value of generosity.
- She called him a miser for refusing to donate even a small amount.
- The miser counted his coins every night before bed.
- Nobody liked the miser because he never shared or helped others.
Synonyms or Related
- penny-pincher
- cheapskate
- tightwad
- skinflint
- Scrooge
Antonym
- spendthrift
- generous person
- philanthropist