General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: On the evolution of language and the "W" word [View all]quickesst
(6,309 posts)...I agree. I am really just anticipating the cleverness, and the different ways it will be used in what more than a few will believe to be clever. Didn't work out too well for one popular poster. How do you think people would react if I used the word 'niggardly' at every opportunity even if it was appropriate to my statement? Without benefit of the definition, I suspect many would perceive it's use as me being clever in order to mask racism. It's "normal" speech. It's not just context. It's also perception, many times flawed.
nig·gard·ly
ˈniɡərdlē/
adjective
1.
not generous; stingy.
"serving out the rations with a niggardly hand"
synonyms: cheap, mean, miserly, parsimonious, close-fisted, penny-pinching, cheeseparing, grasping, ungenerous, illiberal; More
antonyms: generous
meager; scanty.
"their share is a niggardly 2.7 percent"
synonyms: meager, inadequate, scanty, scant, skimpy, paltry, sparse, insufficient, deficient, short, lean, small, slender, poor, miserable, pitiful, puny; More
adverbarchaic
adverb: niggardly
1.
in a stingy or meager manner.