exiguous

[ ig-zig-yoo-uh s, ik-sig- ]
/ ɪgˈzɪg yu əs, ɪkˈsɪg- /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR exiguous ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

scanty; meager; small; slender: exiguous income.

Origin of exiguous

1645–55; < Latin exiguus scanty in measure or number, small, equivalent to exig(ere) (see exigent) + -uus deverbal adj. suffix

OTHER WORDS FROM exiguous

ex·i·gu·i·ty [ek-si-gyoo-i-tee] /ˌɛk sɪˈgyu ɪ ti/, ex·ig·u·ous·ness, noun ex·ig·u·ous·ly, adverb

Words nearby exiguous

exhume, exigeant, exigency, exigent, exigible, exiguous, exilarch, exile, exilic, eximious, exine

Words related to exiguity

loss, shortfall, inadequacy, reduction, dearth, paucity, absence, poverty, scarcity, shortage, shortcoming, bankruptcy, debt, hardship, lack, famine, difficulty, starvation, deficit, insufficiency

Example sentences from the Web for exiguity

  • The strong sonorous voice of the layman was in singular contrast with the exiguity of his thin, stunted frame.

    Travels in Tartary, Thibet, and China |Evariste Regis Huc

  • He would rank with Wolfe; indeed, considering the exiguity of his means, his feat would surpass that of Wolfe.

    The Bastonnais |John Lesperance

  • No lean-jowled, hungry-looking devotees, living in exiguity and droning in exinanition their prayers,––not by any means.

    The Book of Khalid |Ameen Rihani

British Dictionary definitions for exiguity

exiguous
/ (ɪɡˈzɪɡjʊəs, ɪkˈsɪɡ-) /

adjective

scanty or slender; meagre an exiguous income

Derived forms of exiguous

exiguity (ˌɛksɪˈɡjuːɪtɪ) or exiguousness, noun exiguously, adverb

Word Origin for exiguous

C17: from Latin exiguus, from exigere to weigh out; see exigent