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definitions

scrimpy

[ skrim-pee ]
/ ˈskrɪm pi /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR scrimpy ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, scrimp·i·er, scrimp·i·est.

scanty; meager; barely adequate.
tending to scrimp; frugal; parsimonious.

RELATED WORDS

paltry, tenuous, scanty, minimum, sparse, miserable, scant, insufficient, mere, puny, skimpy, selfish, greedy, tight, meager, thin, infrequent, inadequate, sporadic, scarce

Nearby words

  1. scrim,
  2. scrimmage,
  3. scrimmage line,
  4. scrimp,
  5. scrimp and save,
  6. scrimshander,
  7. scrimshank,
  8. scrimshaw,
  9. scrinia,
  10. scrinium

Origin of scrimpy

First recorded in 1850–55; scrimp + -y1
Related formsscrimp·i·ly, adverbscrimp·i·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for scrimpy

  • From the scrimpy legs of the knickerbockers his knees shone bare and brown.

    Two Little Travellers|Frances Browne Arthur
Word Origin and History for scrimpy

scrimpy

adj.

1855, from scrimp (v.) + -y (2). Related: Scrimpily; scrimpiness.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper