exiguous

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

/ ɪgˈzɪg yu əs, ɪkˈsɪg- /

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

adjective

scanty; meager; small; slender: exiguous income.

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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