exiguous

[ ig-zig-yoo-uh s, ik-sig- ]

/ ɪgˈzɪg yu əs, ɪkˈsɪg- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR exiguous ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

scanty; meager; small; slender: exiguous income.

Nearby words

Origin of exiguous

1645–55; < Latin exiguus scanty in measure or number, small, equivalent to exig(ere) (see exigent) + -uus deverbal adj. suffix

Related formsex·i·gu·i·ty

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for exiguous

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
Even so, with our exiguous profit on eight copies duly sold, our state is more gracious than that of more deserving men.
Seeing and Hearing|George W. E. Russell
The hospitality of the simple peasant was as hearty, his welcome as warm, as his means were exiguous.
The Alps|Martin Conway
To the strains of an exiguous orchestra, the provocation of the lady's castanets reached our ears gaily.
To Tell You the Truth|Leonard Merrick

In the middle of our exiguous breakfast it occurred to me that we were behaving in an extremely old-fashioned way.
The Man With the Black Feather|Gaston Leroux

British Dictionary definitions for exiguous

exiguous

/ (ɪɡˈzɪɡjʊəs, ɪkˈsɪɡ-) /

adjective

scanty or slender; meagrean exiguous income

Derived Formsexiguity (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

Word Origin and History for exiguous