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 of skimpy

• sparse
• scarce

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

The laptop itself has 64GB of internal storage, which is skimpy, so this offer bundles a 500GB SSD to give you space for your projects outside of the cloud. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026

Its outcome could spur the availability of lower-cost but potentially skimpier health coverage that skirts some consumer protections. — Julie Appleby, Miami Herald, 16 Sep. 2026

The expiration of enhanced ACA subsidies, in place since 2021, caused insurance costs to rise for most ACA enrollees and led millions to drop coverage or downgrade to cheaper, skimpier plans. — Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2026

People’s idea of Joy Division is from a series of black and white photographs, which give you a very skimpy impression of somebody. — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for skimpy

• wimpy

Kids Definition

skimpy

adjective

ˈskim-pē 

skimpier; skimpiest

: barely enough : scanty

skimpily

-pə-lē 

adverb

skimpiness

-pē-nəs 

noun