What does meager mean?
Meager means insufficient in quantity, quality, or resources, and it can also describe someone who is thin or lean. The word frequently appears in contexts involving hardship or inadequacy, such as a meager salary, diet, supply of food, or body of evidence. Its tone is generally formal and serious: describing a situation as meager emphasizes that it falls short of what is needed or expected. Although it can be used in literal physical senses, it often carries a broader implication of poverty, inadequacy, or weak support. Meager is the standard spelling in American English, while meagre is the traditional spelling in British English. Together with related terms such as scanty, insufficient, and inadequate, it describes a shortage that may be temporary, habitual, or severe.
adjectiveLacking in quantity, size, quality, or sufficiency; scanty or inadequate. It can describe a person who is thin or lean, as well as food, resources, evidence, or other things that are insufficient in amount.
- Lacking in quantity, size, or sufficiency.
- Thin or lean in appearance.
- Of food or nourishment, insufficient to sustain health or satisfy the body.
- Limited or inadequate in quality, scope, or amount.
"The hikers survived the winter on a meager ration of rice and dried fruit."
"The committee reached its decision on meager evidence."
"Her salary was modest, and the family lived on a meager income."
A word can be meager in more than one way: a person may be physically lean, while a meal, salary, or body of evidence can be conspicuously insufficient.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does meager come from?
The word comes from Old English mǣgre, meaning “thin,” “lean,” or “not enough,” and is generally traced to a Germanic root associated with leanness or scarcity. Its modern sense of general insufficiency developed from the older ideas of thinness and lack. Cognates survive in several Germanic languages, including German mager, Dutch mager, Icelandic mager, and Swedish mager.
Related word forms
How meager is actually used
The word is formal and often conveys criticism or concern about insufficiency. In American English, meager is the usual spelling; meagre is a common British variant.
Easily confused with meager
Meagre is the traditional British spelling of meager; in this context, it is a variant spelling rather than a separate meaning.