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Glite Dictionary
measly portion size

measly portion size

4.1
A very small amount of food that is less than you expect
  • noun
  • Informal
translation icon : porción miserable
  • Despite the high prices, they served a measly portion size that barely covered half the plate.

Examples

  • He complained to the waiter about the measly portion size of his main course.

  • We left the restaurant hungry because of the measly portion size.

  • What a measly portion size!

  • The restaurant served a measly portion size for the price.

  • He complained to the waiter about the measly portion size of his main course.

  • Despite the high prices, they served a measly portion size that barely covered half the plate.

  • We left the restaurant hungry because of the measly portion size.

Synonyms

measly amount
vsmeasly portion size
  • Informal
5.1

A very small amount that is not enough

is specific to food, showing a too-small serving rather than a general lack

Antonyms

generous
111 1.3

An amount larger than usual or needed

ample
104 3.7

More than enough for what is needed

How Full

overfull
1 5.5
bellyful
1 4.4
stomachful
1 5.7
meal
∞ 1.0
serving
104 1.0
measly portion size
  • Informal
4.1

Surface Forms

measly portion size singular
measly portion sizes plural

Morphology

measly + portion + size

The phrase is directly compositional: 'measly' means insufficient or small and modifies 'portion size' (the amount/serving), so a learner who knows the words can infer it denotes a very small or inadequate serving. This follows a standard adjective + noun composition pattern and is cross-linguistically transparent, so it should be understandable to a B1 learner.

Etymology

The phrase measly portion size paints the image of a tiny, sad pile of food on your plate. Long ago, the word measly was used for things that seemed weak or worth very little, like a sick, thin animal, so now measly in measly portion size means 'very small' or 'not enough'.