eked
Stretched with difficulty
Eked appears almost exclusively in the phrase eked out, meaning to obtain or extend something with difficulty or in small increments.
You eke out a living by scraping together barely enough income.
You eke out a victory by winning narrowly.
The word suggests scarcity and effort—making something last or achieving something just barely.
Rubbed harshly against
- meagerDeficient in quantity
- scantBarely adequate amount
- barelyOnly just, almost not
- sparseThinly scattered or distributed
paltry · limited · insufficient · inadequate · marginal · fractional · minimal · modest
scraped
Rubbed harshly against
sparse · paltry · limited · insufficient · inadequate · marginal · fractional · minimal · modest · pinched
grind
Crush into particles
- slogLaborious persistent effort
- laborStrenuous effort; also childbirth
- toilStrenuous, prolonged effort
drudgery · strain · exertion · hardship · sweat · work · effort · struggle · plod · trudge
persevere
Continue despite obstacles
persist · struggle · sustain · manage · cope · scrape by · get by · carry on · hold on · soldier on
ekedabounded
Existed in plenty
overflowed · flourished · thrived · prospered · teemed