skimpy
Americanadjective
-
lacking in size, fullness, etc.; scanty.
a skimpy hem; a skimpy dinner.
-
too thrifty; stingy.
a skimpy housekeeper.
adjective
-
(of clothes, etc) made of too little material; scanty
-
excessively thrifty; mean; stingy
Other Word Forms
- skimpily adverb
- skimpiness noun
Etymology
Origin of skimpy
Explanation
When something is skimpy, there's not quite enough of it. A skimpy lunch won't fill you up, and a skimpy sweater won't cover you up. The adjective skimpy is good for describing meager or inadequate things, like a skimpy amount of firewood that only burns for an hour, or a skimpy serving of ice cream. Skimpy probably comes from the verb scrimp, "be thrifty," which was originally an adjective meaning "scant or meager."
Vocabulary lists containing skimpy
The Watsons Go to Birmingham
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Paltry Parlance: Synonyms for "Few"
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The Book of Unknown Americans
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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.
But instead of deputies in skimpy running gear flashing the offending tattoos, a different problem plaguing the largest sheriff’s department in the nation became apparent.
From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2025
Several years ago he discussed merging with the chain publishing a skimpy daily in nearby Ontario.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 2, 2023
After all, students can economize by choosing a skimpy meal plan and cooking their own dinners or buying used textbooks, but there is no way around the mandatory health fees.
From Salon • Dec. 19, 2022
It is hard to believe much of anything that happens in FX’s “Kindred,” in either the skimpy, cardboard depiction of plantation life or in the clichéd presentation of modern city life.
From New York Times • Dec. 12, 2022
But our mother looks out the window and sees us, and the snow, and makes us come inside and dry our feet off with the skimpy towels.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
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.
