meagre
Britishadjective
-
deficient in amount, quality, or extent
-
thin or emaciated
-
lacking in richness or strength
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of meagre
C14: from Old French maigre, from Latin macer lean, poor
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.
Friends of the Earth Scotland's Catrina Randall said the "meagre" reduction figures were a "missed opportunity" to improve the lives of Scots.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
Kenya said his meagre food supplies would often end up being eaten by mice.
From BBC • May 17, 2026
Ipek Ozkardeskaya, a senior analyst at trading platform Swissquote, said 400 million barrels would still be a "meagre" amount compared with the roughly 45 million barrels that IEA countries consume every day.
From Barron's • Mar. 11, 2026
Rainy seasons in Somaliland have been late and meagre for at least five years, leading to frequent droughts, according to the Somaliland Ministry of Agriculture.
From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026
The next day the king’s scouts chanced upon an abandoned crofters’ village between two lakes—a mean and meagre place, no more than a few huts, a longhall, and a watchtower.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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.
