meager
AmericanSynonym Usage
See scanty.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of meager
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English megre, from Old French maigre, from Latin macer “lean”
Explanation
Meager means small and often applies to portions. Your mother may only allow you a meager serving of chocolate cake, and you may need to eat a meager serving of veggies in order to deserve that dessert. Meager doesn't mean adequate — it means not enough. People with a limited supply of food may try to subsist on meager portions. People who make a meager amount of money probably have a hard time making rent. Meager and emaciated both derive from the Old French maigre. If you can remember that you will look emaciated if your diet is meager, you’ll use the word correctly.
Vocabulary lists containing meager
List 1
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Tuck Everlasting
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"Of Mice and Men"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But since it became operational, critics have faulted both the meager pledges from governments -- $822 million to date -- and a disbursement cycle disconnected from climate disasters.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
But today’s meager market for pianos makes it especially hard to find new homes for them.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
Meanwhile India’s meager exports to China, long a sore point in New Delhi, rose $12.22 billion in April-November 2025, an increase of 33% compared with the same period in 2024.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
A flood of social media comments decried loss of sovereignty, meager benefits and political costs.
From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026
It wasn't hard to imagine the refugees, huddled together with their meager belongings.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
