meager
- 01 C1 Advanced
very small in amount and usually not enough to satisfy a need.
deficient in quantity or number; inadequate to meet a requirement.
Simple“The family struggled to survive on a meager income of just a few dollars a day.”
In context“The refugees were forced to subsist on meager rations of rice and clean water while they waited for the aid trucks to arrive.”
Synonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
lacking richness, strength, or important qualities.
deficient in substance, richness, or fertility; lacking in quality or value.
Simple“The soil in this area is too meager to grow any healthy vegetables.”
In context“The prosecution's case was based on meager evidence, leading many legal experts to predict an early acquittal for the defendant.”
Antonyms - 03 C2 Proficiency
having very little fat or flesh on the body.
lacking flesh or bulk; thin or emaciated in physical appearance.
Simple“The meager stray dog wandered the streets looking for scraps of food.”
In context“His meager frame was a testament to the months of hardship he had endured during the long winter trek.”
“It is also an area frequented by students, many of whom are known to gamble in an attempt to stretch their meagre resources.”
“However, it should be remembered that this set of financial data relates to Everton’s final season playing home matches at Walton Hall Park, their meagre former home.”
From Middle English megre, from Anglo-Norman megre, Old French maigre, from Latin macer, from Proto-Indo-European *mh₂ḱrós. Akin, through the Indo-European root, to Old English mæġer (“meager, lean”), West Frisian meager (“meager”), Dutch mager (“meager”), German mager, Icelandic magr whence the Icelandic magur, Norwegian Bokmål mager and Danish mager. Doublet of maigre.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.