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.
Venezuelans have not hidden their anger at the slow and meager aid coming from the authorities after the twin earthquakes that killed at least 1,450 and left tens of thousands more missing.
From Barron's • Jun. 28, 2026
Indeed, Monday’s 0.9% gain for the Nasdaq Composite was meager compared with its 4.2% loss on Friday.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026
Her father secures a farm job on land nearby, and as Robin’s family settles into the meager accommodation provided for laborers, Robin sneaks off to probe the secrets of the great house.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
"The subdued labor market, depressed confidence, meager real income growth, and exhaustion of pandemic-era excess savings all are starting to weigh on households," he warned.
From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026
“I may have lived but for one petty and meager lifetime, but for over three hundred years since, I have desired one thing, that what is rightfully mine to be returned to me at last.”
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
Definitions 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.
