skimpy

adjective

ˈskim-pē 

skimpier; skimpiest

: deficient in supply or execution especially through skimping : scanty

skimpily

ˈskim-pə-lē 

adverb

skimpiness

ˈskim-pē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• exiguous
• hand-to-mouth
• light
• meager
• meagre
• niggardly
• poor
• scant
• scanty
• scarce
• skimp
• slender
• slim
• spare
• sparing
• sparse
• stingy

Choose the Right Synonym for skimpy

meager, scanty, scant, skimpy, spare, sparse mean falling short of what is normal, necessary, or desirable.

meager implies the absence of elements, qualities, or numbers necessary to a thing's richness, substance, or potency.

a meager portion of meat

scanty stresses insufficiency in amount, quantity, or extent.

supplies too scanty to last the winter

scant suggests a falling short of what is desired or desirable rather than of what is essential.

in January the daylight hours are scant

skimpy usually suggests niggardliness or penury as the cause of the deficiency.

tacky housing developments on skimpy lots

spare may suggest a slight falling short of adequacy or merely an absence of superfluity.

a spare, concise style of writing

sparse implies a thin scattering of units.

a sparse population

Examples of skimpy in a Sentence

the information in the user's manual for the microwave is skimpy and not particularly helpful

Recent Examples on the Web

Take a chair lift—a skimpy open-air vessel that sits one person per lift—from Anacapri, around the corner from the Capri Palace Jumeirah, which will transport you to the incredible views and an old 19th-century fort and gardens. —Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 9 July 2024

Unless your dress was excessively skimpy, these people were majorly in the wrong. —Virginia Chamlee, Peoplemag, 2 July 2024

The restaurants quickly drew attention for the then-shocking skimpy outfits and also for risque and misogynistic themes, jokes and signage. —Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 June 2024

Think: skimpy silhouettes, lots of macrame, and a palette of tans, whites, and browns. —Talia Ergas, Travel + Leisure, 24 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

skimpy

adjective

ˈskim-pē 

skimpier; skimpiest

: barely enough : scanty

skimpily

-pə-lē 

adverb

skimpiness

-pē-nəs 

noun