mindmap root((缺少)) meager implies the absence of elements, qualities, or numbers necessary to a thing's richness, substance, or potency: a ~ portion of meat. scant stresses insufficiency in amount, quantity, or extent: supplies too ~ to last the winter. scanty suggests a falling short of what is desired or desirable rather than of what is essential: accorded the guests ~ welcome. skimp usually suggests niggardliness and penury as the cause of the deficiency: tacky house developments on ~ lots. exiguous implies a marked deficiency in number or measure that makes the thing described compare unfavorably with others of its kind: tried to function and thrive despite ~ resources. spare may suggest a slight falling short of adequacy or merely an absence of superfluity: a ~, concise style of writing. sparse implies a thin scattering of units: a ~ population.