meagre
Thin and insufficient
Meagre means lacking in quantity, quality, or substance—inadequate or scanty: a meagre salary, meagre portions, meagre evidence.
The word suggests falling short of what's needed or expected.
A meagre harvest won't feed the village through winter.
Meagre can also describe someone thin and underfed.
The spelling meager is standard in American English.
Not sufficient for purpose
- scantyInsufficient in amount
- paltryContemptibly meager
- scantBarely adequate amount
- skimpyInadequate in size or amount
sparse · limited · lacking · deficient · wanting · insubstantial · poor · short
Small in diameter
lanky · bony · wiry · slight · spindly · angular · underfed · undernourished
Seldom found or seen
- limitedRestricted in extent
- sparseThinly scattered or distributed
- fewSmall in number
- dwindlingProgressively becoming smaller
shortage · dearth · paucity · scarcity · infrequent · uncommon · sporadic · scattered
Severe and unadorned
- barrenUnable to produce
- bleakDreary and without cheer
- austereSeverely simple and unadorned
- sparseThinly scattered or distributed
unadorned · stripped · empty · desolate · plain · skeletal · bare-bones · spartan
Held in reserve
- modestLacking in pretension
- simpleFree of complexity
- austereSeverely simple and unadorned
- parsimoniousExcessively unwilling to spend
sparing · economical · thrifty · abstemious · ascetic · restrained · unpretentious · humble
inadequate
Not sufficient for purpose
skimpy · sparse · limited · lacking · deficient · wanting · insubstantial · poor · short · thin
thin
Small in diameter
skinny · lanky · bony · wiry · slight · spindly · angular · underfed · undernourished · emaciated
rare
Seldom found or seen
dwindling · shortage · dearth · paucity · scarcity · infrequent · uncommon · sporadic · scattered · rationed
stark
Severe and unadorned
sparse · unadorned · stripped · empty · desolate · plain · skeletal · bare-bones · spartan · no-frills
spare
Held in reserve
parsimonious · sparing · economical · thrifty · abstemious · ascetic · restrained · unpretentious · humble · plain
drum
Struck percussion cylinder
meagrerich
Having much of something
sumptuous · luxurious · substantial · satisfying · hearty