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.
The economy likely created 59,000 new jobs last month, after a meager 29,000 increase in September.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026
Meanwhile, he continues to file what I believe are baseless motions in family court, using the proceeds from the house sale to drain my already meager earnings.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026
A meager 84 yards through the air and a modest 14-7 halftime lead?
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2026
But since it became operational, critics have faulted both meager pledges from rich nations -- $822 million to date -- and a disbursement cycle disconnected from climate disasters.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
In the city, food rations have grown more meager.
From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
