skimpy

/ˈskɪmpi/

/ˈskɪmpi/

Other forms: skimpier; skimpiest

When something is skimpy, there's not quite enough of it. A skimpy lunch won't fill you up, and a skimpy sweater won't cover you up.

The adjective skimpy is good for describing meager or inadequate things, like a skimpy amount of firewood that only burns for an hour, or a skimpy serving of ice cream. Skimpy probably comes from the verb scrimp, "be thrifty," which was originally an adjective meaning "scant or meager."

Definitions of skimpy

1. adjective

   containing little excess
   “a skimpy allowance”

   synonyms: lean

   deficient, insufficient

   of a quantity not able to fulfill a need or requirement