meager

adjective mea·ger \ˈmē-gər\

: very small or too small in amount

: not having enough of something (such as money or food) for comfort or happiness

Full Definition of MEAGER

: having little flesh : thin

a : lacking desirable qualities (as richness or strength) <leading a meager life>

b : deficient in quality or quantity <a meager diet>

— mea·ger·ly adverb

— mea·ger·ness noun

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Variants of MEAGER

mea·ger or mea·gre \ˈmē-gər\

Origin of MEAGER

Middle English megre, from Anglo-French megre, meigre, from Latin macr-, macer lean; akin to Old English mæger lean, Greek makros long

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to MEAGER

Synonyms: exiguous, hand-to-mouth, light, niggardly, poor, scant, scanty, scarce, skimp, skimpy, slender, slim, spare, sparing, sparse, stingy, thin on the ground

Antonyms: abundant, ample, bountiful, copious, generous, liberal, plenteous, plentiful

Synonym Discussion of MEAGER

meager, scanty, scant, skimpy, spare, sparse mean falling short of what is normal, necessary, or desirable. meager implies the absence of elements, qualities, or numbers necessary to a thing's richness, substance, or potency <a meager portion of meat>. scanty stresses insufficiency in amount, quantity, or extent <supplies too scanty to last the winter>. scant suggests a falling short of what is desired or desirable rather than of what is essential <in January the daylight hours are scant>. skimpy usually suggests niggardliness or penury as the cause of the deficiency <tacky housing developments on skimpy lots>. spare may suggest a slight falling short of adequacy or merely an absence of superfluity <a spare, concise style of writing>. sparse implies a thin scattering of units <a sparse population>.