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. (tacky: of low quality or taste质量差品位差，如tacky clothes难看的衣服)  (niggardly==penurious吝啬: spending or giving the smallest amount possible: gave his wife a niggardly household allowance给他妻子生活费少得可怜)



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.


meager稀薄: 缺少元素特点数量，不丰富充实有力(substance重要有价值)，scant不足: 强调数量或范围不足，scanty也是不足: 表示不够理想而不是本质缺失(失去本质导致根本改变即毁灭，如本质属性)，skimpy吝惜: 指小气吝啬导致的不足，exiguous匮乏: 数量明显不足，和同类比不利，spare节约: 稍微不足或仅是不过量，sparse稀疏: 形容成员分散分布(thin scattering of units)。



记忆方法:  1）首字母ME SSSSS:ME想成我，SSSSS想成Shao少<==我缺少智信仁勇严，当不了将军 (孙子<始计第一>: 将者，智信仁勇严也)

            2）缺少的意思是比正常的必要的或希望的少mean falling short of what is normal, necessary, or desirable.