exiguous

[ ig-zig-yoo-uhs, ik-sig- ]

/ ɪgˈzɪg yu əs, ɪkˈsɪg- /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: exiguous / exiguity / exiguousness on Thesaurus.com

adjective

scanty; meager; small; slender: exiguous income.

QUIZ

FIRE UP YOUR VOCAB FOR A "RED" SYNONYMS QUIZ

No fire engine reds here, only a fierce collection of vibrant words for the color red to test yourself on.

Question 1 of 7

What does "amaranth" mean?

a legendary stone of impenetrable hardness

an imaginary, undying flower

a mythical creature

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of exiguous

First recorded in 1645–55; from Latin exiguus “scanty in measure or number, small,” equivalent to exig(ere) “to drive out, measure, exact” + -uus adjective suffix; see origin at exigent,-ous

OTHER WORDS FROM exiguous

ex·i·gu·i·ty

[ek-si-gyoo-i-tee], /ˌɛk sɪˈgyu ɪ ti/, ex·ig·u·ous·ness, nounex·ig·u·ous·ly, adverb

Words nearby exiguous

ex hypothesi, exigeant, exigency, exigent, exigible, exiguous, exilarch, exile, exilic, Ex-Im, eximious

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use exiguous in a sentence

HFM: Yeah, it would be impossible because I had no background, or I had a very exiguous background in finance.
America’s New Mandarins|Megan McArdle|February 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
We can extract from these exiguous provisions nothing in the nature of a policy imposed by Parliament on the Central Authority.
English Poor Law Policy|Sidney Webb
No one can maintain the position of a gentleman with more exiguous resources than often fall to his share.
Greifenstein|F. Marion Crawford
Women in dreams of diaphanous and exiguous raiment stared derisively at the trio as they passed their tables.
The Mountebank|William J. Locke

He pondered these matters as he ate, spinning out his exiguous meal to its uttermost crumb to make it as satisfying as possible.
A Maid of the Silver Sea|John Oxenham
The skill with which he managed the exiguous finances of the exiled court earned him further confidence and promotion.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 7|Various

British Dictionary definitions for exiguous

exiguous

/ (ɪɡˈzɪɡjʊəs, ɪkˈsɪɡ-) /

adjective

scanty or slender; meagrean exiguous income

Derived forms of exiguous

exiguity (ˌɛksɪˈɡjuːɪtɪ) or exiguousness, nounexiguously, adverb

Word Origin for exiguous

C17: from Latin exiguus, from exigere to weigh out; see exigent

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

exiguous

Origin of exiguous

OTHER WORDS FROM exiguous

Words nearby exiguous

Words related to exiguous

How to use exiguous in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for exiguous

Derived forms of exiguous

Word Origin for exiguous