meager
AmericanRelated Words
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.
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
And as musicians rely on longer and often more expensive tours to offset meager streaming income, the analysts said promoters sometimes make performances abroad part of the package.
From MarketWatch • May 6, 2026
With its meager earnings, Cheap Trick made the long drive to L.A. several times to play the Starwood in hopes of landing a record contract.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026
In Africa, South Asia and the Middle East, the IMF warned that a number of countries were already struggling with meager foreign reserves and "limited market access," making them vulnerable to "dangerous" debt shocks.
From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026
We’d all do it then until we had used up our meager supply.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
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.
