meagre

/ˈmiːɡə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈmiːɡər/ (ame, ipa)

meagre — adjective

  • meagrepositive
  • meagrercomparative
  • meagrestsuperlative

1. used to describe an amount, number, or portion that is surprisingly small and fa

1.形容詞B2
釋義

used to describe an amount, number, or portion that is surprisingly small and fails to provide what people need or expect.

例句

Femi earned a meagre salary at the small hotel, barely enough for rent.

collocation: meagre salary

The refugees survived on meagre portions of rice and a few beans each day.

同義詞
  • scant

    focuses on barely reaching a minimum, often used with measurements ('a scant cup of flour'); slightly more formal than meagre.

  • sparse

    describes thin distribution across an area ('sparse population'); not used for abstract amounts like salary.

  • paltry

    more contemptuous than meagre — suggests the small amount is insulting or unfair ('a paltry offer').

反義詞
  • ample

    means more than enough, the direct opposite of meagre insufficiency.

  • generous

    describes portions or amounts that are satisfyingly large.

文法句型

meagre + noun

用法筆記

This sense is almost always used before a noun (attributive position). The word carries a critical or disappointed tone — it implies the amount is not just small but disappointingly insufficient.

常見錯誤

❌The salary was very meagre and low.
✅The salary was meagre.
💡'meagre' already communicates insufficiency; do not add 'very' or 'low' as intensifiers in formal writing.
❌The portions were meagre small.
✅The portions were meagre.
💡'meagre' is an adjective; do not add 'small' as a redundant modifier.

2. not as rich, strong, full, or substantial as something of its type should normal

2.形容詞B2
釋義

not as rich, strong, full, or substantial as something of its type should normally be.

例句

The hotel served a meagre breakfast of dry bread and instant coffee.

collocation: meagre meal / breakfast

The soil on Élise's hillside plot was too meagre to grow vegetables.

pattern: too meagre to + infinitive

同義詞
  • sparse

    focuses on thin distribution; often used for vegetation, hair, furniture, or audiences.

  • thin

    more general and less formal; can describe soup, air, or excuses.

  • bare

    suggests something stripped of extras or luxuries ('a bare room').

反義詞
  • rich

    describes something full, deep, or abundant in quality ('rich soil', 'a rich meal').

  • substantial

    means large in amount or quality; the opposite of meagre and thin.

文法句型

meagre + noun

too meagre + to-infinitive

用法筆記

Describes concrete things that should be rich or substantial — a meal, soil, furniture, a collection, a performance — but turn out disappointingly thin or bare. Less common than sense 1 and typically used in predicative position after 'be' or 'find'.

常見錯誤

❌The meal was meagre and not tasty.
✅The meal was meagre
💡just dry bread and water.' — 'meagre' means lacking in richness or substance, not simply 'not tasty.' Describe what is missing to make the meaning clear.