beggarly C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈbɛɡɚli/ UK /ˈbɛɡəli/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj meanly poor or contemptibly small in amount They were offered a beggarly wage for hard labor. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · meanly poor or contemptibly... meagerpaltrywretchedmeancontemptibledestitutescanty ↔ Opposites lavishabundantgenerousample Word family Derived forms beggarliness Related forms beggarbegbeggary Etymology AI details From beggar + the adjectival suffix -ly. Beggar derives from Middle English beggere, from beg + -ar, the verb beg being of uncertain origin. begart Old French -līċ Old English View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # beggarly **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈbɛɡɚli/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈbɛɡəli/ ## Meanings 1. meanly poor or contemptibly small in amount ## Examples - They were offered a beggarly wage for hard labor. ## Synonyms - meager - paltry - wretched - mean - contemptible - destitute - scanty ## Antonyms - lavish - abundant - generous - ample ## Derived Forms - beggarliness ## Related Forms - beggar - beg - beggary ## Roots and Affixes - Root: begart - Root: -līċ ## Etymology From beggar + the adjectival suffix -ly. Beggar derives from Middle English beggere, from beg + -ar, the verb beg being of uncertain origin. ## AI Etymology Beggarly is from beggar + the adjectival suffix -ly. Beggar derives from Middle English beggere, from beg + -ar, the verb beg being of uncertain origin. In present-day use, it means meanly poor or contemptibly small in amount. Derived formations include beggarliness. Related vocabulary includes beggar, beg, and beggary. ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown