meager

/'mi:gə/ Cách viết khác : (meagre) /'mi:gə/

Thân thiện

The family's meager meal consisted of a small loaf of bread and a single potato.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Deficient in amount, quantity, or richness: Describes something that is less than what is needed, desired, or expected, often implying a bare minimum or insufficiency.
   • Thin or lean: Can describe a person or animal that is very thin, often to the point of appearing undernourished.

Usage and Examples

• Describing insufficient amount or quality:
  • The refugees survived on a meager diet of bread and water.
  • After the budget cuts, the department had only meager resources to complete the project.
• Describing a thin physical appearance:
  • The stray dog looked meager and hungry. (This usage is less common in modern English than the first meaning.)

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• "Meager" vs. "Scant": Both imply insufficiency. "Meager" often suggests something is pitifully or disappointingly small (e.g., ), while "scant" emphasizes something is barely sufficient or barely enough (e.g., ).
• "Meager" often carries a negative connotation of inadequacy and can evoke a sense of pity or disappointment.
  • He made a meager attempt to apologize. (Suggests the apology was weak and insufficient.)

Variants and Related Words

• Meagerly (adverb): In a meager manner; scantily.
  • The room was meagerly furnished with just a bed and a chair.
• Meagerness (noun): The state or quality of being meager.
  • The meagerness of the evidence led to the case being dismissed.

Synonyms

• Scanty: Barely sufficient or inadequate.
• Paltry: Ridiculously or insultingly small.
• Sparse: Thinly scattered or distributed; not dense or plentiful.
• Inadequate: Not sufficient or acceptable.

Antonyms

• Abundant: Existing or available in large quantities; plentiful.
• Ample: Enough or more than enough; plentiful.
• Copious: Abundant in supply or quantity.
• Lavish: Sumptuously rich, elaborate, or luxurious.

Idioms and Common Phrases

• A meager existence: A life lived with the bare minimum of resources or comforts.
  • For years, the family eked out a meager existence on the farm.
• Meager pickings: A very small or unsatisfactory amount of something to be shared or gained.
  • After the early shoppers finished, there were only meager pickings left at the sale.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. deficient in amount or quality or extent
   • meager resources
   • meager fare

Từ đồng nghĩa

• meagre
• meagerly
• stingy
• scrimpy