2. Adjective. trivial, insignificant ¹
3. Adjective. pernickety, paying too much attention to small details. ¹
¹ Source: wiktionary.com
Definition of Niggly
1. petty [adj -GLIER, -GLIEST] - See also: petty
Lexicographical Neighbors of Niggly
Literary usage of Niggly
Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:
1. Lakeland Words: A Collection of Dialect Words and Phrases, as Used in by B. Kirkby (1898)
"niggly—Varra bad ta git owt oot on in a bargin. He was as niggly ower a penny as
many a yan is ower a pund. NIGGLED—Chowed. T' rattans hes niggled his ..."
2. All the Year Round by Charles Dickens (1885)
"Whoever can be writing to me on such miserable paper, and in such an old-fashioned,
niggly hand 1 " but next moment she began to laugh. ..."
3. Macmillan's Magazine by David Masson, George Grove, John Morley, Mowbray Morris (1887)
"... Mr. Pinkney, I really don't know a likelier subject for it than yourself—if
only you wrote more—with that little, crabbed, niggly handwriting of yours ! ..."
4. Life on the Stage: My Personal Experiences and Recollections by Clara Morris (1901)
"... and, as I said, I have just closed with her for the coming season. With,"
etc., etc. Then there was a wee bit of paper — little, niggly- ..."
5. The English Illustrated Magazine (1907)
"They worked it for each other's benefit in a way it was quite brotherly-like to
see, and were as niggly as a pair of lawyers over any bad work that was ..."
6. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society by Bombay Natural History Society (1891)
"Typically the primary markings arc very niggly in their character, u combination
of specks and spots and fine irregular lines, some black or blackish-brown, ..."
7. The Complete Photographer by Roger Child Bayley (1906)
"In fact, it resolves itself into delicate, but not " niggly" shading. There should
be no attempt to get a lot of lead on in any one place by using a soft ..."
Other Resources:
Welsh