meager

especially British, mea·gre

[mee-ger]

adjective

1. deficient in quantity or quality; lacking fullness or richness; scanty; inadequate.

   a meager salary; meager fare; a meager harvest.

2. having little flesh; lean; thin.

   a body meager with hunger.

   Synonyms: skinny, spare, gaunt

3. maigre.

Other Word Forms

• meagerly adverb
• meagerness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of meager¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English megre, from Old French maigre, from Latin macer “lean”

Synonym Study

See scanty.

Example Sentences

Martin, a complete amateur who got her start collecting meager prizes in local Toughwoman contests, swung through gender barriers and crowds of deniers to prove her worth as a boxer.

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The Wildcats managed a meager 103 yards in the second half.

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As of the early 1990s, women’s boxing still attracted such meager purses that she is seen resorting to grotesque means of making money, urged on by her husband.

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The Trojans’ top passing attack was completely grounded before halftime, as Maiava managed a meager 57 yards on six of 16 passing.

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In his testimony, Mohammed said meals in the prison are “extremely insufficient,” going on to describe meager rations with “tiny pieces of bread” and “undercooked, dry rice.”

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Related Words

• insufficient 
• mere 
• minimum 
• miserable 
• paltry 
• puny 
• scant 
• scanty 
• skimpy 
• sparse 
• tenuous