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skimpy

skimpy

5 5.3
Too small in amount or size for what is needed
  • adjective
  • /ˈskɪm.pi/
translation icon : escaso
  • Many employees were disappointed to find that the bonuses were skimpy this year compared to last.

But the US law is very skimpy on affirmative rights that poor people could seek to enforce.

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Examples

  • From her point of view, two good books were a skimpy legacy.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • The existing information and what you self discover may at first seem skimpy and difficult to connect to other bodies of knowledge.

  • Even the best newspapers have skimpy reports of all but a few international events.

    Academic text (1999)
  • " Supper was a skimpy meal."

    Fiction book (1991)
  • And a lot of times in the dry season, you get really, really skimpy food, and there wasn't that much to eat.

  • What was available was a skimpy collection of newspaper and magazine articles in English, French, German, Italian, Swedish, and Japanese.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • But the US law is very skimpy on affirmative rights that poor people could seek to enforce.

  • In contrast, China's new tax statutes and regulations are both skimpy and inflexible.

    Academic text (2000)
  • The establishment was skimpy on charm, but the food was reasonably priced and its Szechuan dishes were my particular favorites.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Even the eel, when I looked at it later, was skimpy and half dried out, a pitiful item, more like kippered eel.

    Fiction book (1993)

Synonyms

short
vsskimpy
1.0

Not having enough of what is needed

stresses small amount or size as the main shortfall
bare
vsskimpy
122 3.5

Only just enough, with no extra things

is about being smaller or less than what is needed rather than plainness
inadequate
vsskimpy
118 4.4

Not enough or not good enough to do what is needed

is narrower, stressing small amount or size rather than quality
lean
vsskimpy
108 2.5

Thin with little extra fat or money

focuses more on being too small in amount or size
insufficient
vsskimpy
86 3.6

Not enough in amount or quality to meet a need

is more about small size or amount rather than all insufficiencies
puny
vsskimpy
56 3.4

Very small and weak, not impressive

centers on insufficient amount or size rather than physical weakness
meager
vsskimpy
  • US
48 4.8

Too small in amount or quality to be enough

focuses on giving less than needed rather than low quality alone
deficient
vsskimpy
35 4.3

Not having enough of something needed

is about giving too little amount or size rather than specific lacks
scant
vsskimpy
30 5.5

A small amount that is barely enough

means supplying less than needed or expected in general
measly
vsskimpy
  • Informal
29 6.3

Too small to be useful

means simply to provide less than what is required
paltry
vsskimpy
22 7.1

Very small and not important, not worth paying attention to

is about supplying less than needed rather than being merely trivial
spare
vsskimpy
12 3.9

Simple and plain with very little extra

implies unintended smallness that fails to meet needs or expectations
stingy
vsskimpy
4 4.4

Small in amount and not enough for what you need

refers to small amount provided, not the giver's attitude
scanty
vsskimpy
2 6.6

A small amount or number that is barely enough

refers more broadly to providing less than required or expected
scrimpy
vsskimpy
8.8

Too small to be enough

describes providing less than what is needed or expected

Antonyms

447 2.8

Enough to do what is needed

104 3.7

More than enough for what is needed

How Much

abundant
77 3.0
ample
104 3.7
adequate
234 2.7
skimpy
5 5.3
scant
30 5.5

Surface Forms

skimpy positive
skimpier comparative
skimpiest superlative

Morphology

skimpy = skimp (transparent) = skimp + y

Formed by adding the productive suffix '-y' to 'skimp', yielding an adjective meaning 'characterized by scantiness', which is directly inferable from 'skimp'.

Etymology

The word skimpy comes from the idea of skim, which means 'to take only the top' or a very small part of something. So if an explanation or a meal is skimpy, it gives only a small amount and is not enough.