Exiguous is so expansive sounding that you might expect it to mean "extensive" instead of "meager." Even a scanty glimpse at the word's etymology will disabuse you of that notion, …

Origin of exiguous First recorded in 1645–55; from Latin exiguus “scanty in measure or number, small,” equivalent to exig (ere) “to drive out, measure, exact” + -uus adjective suffix; see origin …

Meaning of exiguous in English exiguous adjective formal uk / eɡˈzɪɡ.ju.əs / us / eɡˈzɪɡ.ju.əs / very small in size or amount: I got a teaching job at an exiguous rate of pay. Synonyms …

Meaning of exiguous in English exiguous adjective formal us / eɡˈzɪɡ.ju.əs / uk / eɡˈzɪɡ.ju.əs / very small in size or amount: I got a teaching job at an exiguous rate of pay. Synonyms …

exiguous adjective as in sparse less plentiful than what is normal, necessary, or desirable computer equipment that would be prohibitively expensive, given the rural school's exiguous resources Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance sparse scarce scanty meager poor scant skimpy slender lowest small meagre lacking light insufficient inadequate stingy

Exiguous - definition of exiguous by The Free Dictionary exiguous Also found in: Thesaurus. Related to exiguous: superfluous, insuperable, minatory, puissant ex·ig·u·ous (ĭg-zĭg′yo͞o-əs, ĭk-sĭg′-) adj. Extremely scanty; meager. [From Latin exiguus, from exigere, to measure out, demand; see exact .] ex·ig′u·ous·ly adv. ex·ig′u·ous·ness n.

Exiguous is one of those words that comes in handy when you're really trying to draw attention to the fact that there's very little of something. Otherwise you could just say "tiny," "small," "niggling," or even "scanty." Without more than the exiguous scraps of information currently available, there's simply no way to know who left the offending pile in the hallway, let alone when.

exiguous (comparative more exiguous, superlative most exiguous) scanty; meager. 1889 — Robert Louis Stevenson, The Wrong Box ch XIII The herdboy in the broom, already musical in the days of Father Chaucer, startles (and perhaps pains) the lark with this exiguous pipe. 1912 — G. K. Chesterton, Manalive ch VII

exiguous in American English. (iɡˈzɪɡjuːəs, ikˈsɪɡ-) adjective. scanty; meager; small; slender. exiguous income. Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. …

exiguous few and far between imperceptible inconsequential inconsiderable infrequent insufficient lean less meager middling minor minority minute negligible not many not too many occasional paltry petty piddling rare scant scanty scarce scarcely any scattered scattering seldom semioccasional short skimpy slender slight slim some sparse sporadic