skimpy

adjective

ˈskim-pē How to pronounce skimpy (audio)
Definition of skimpynext
as in sparse
less plentiful than what is normal, necessary, or desirable the information in the user's manual for the microwave is skimpy and not particularly helpful

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective skimpy differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of skimpy are meager, scanty, scant, spare, and sparse. While all these words mean "falling short of what is normal, necessary, or desirable," skimpy usually suggests niggardliness or penury as the cause of the deficiency.

tacky housing developments on skimpy lots

In what contexts can meager take the place of skimpy?

The words meager and skimpy are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, meager implies the absence of elements, qualities, or numbers necessary to a thing's richness, substance, or potency.

a meager portion of meat

When can scant be used instead of skimpy?

The words scant and skimpy can be used in similar contexts, but scant suggests a falling short of what is desired or desirable rather than of what is essential.

in January the daylight hours are scant

When might scanty be a better fit than skimpy?

The meanings of scanty and skimpy largely overlap; however, scanty stresses insufficiency in amount, quantity, or extent.

supplies too scanty to last the winter

When would spare be a good substitute for skimpy?

While in some cases nearly identical to skimpy, spare may suggest a slight falling short of adequacy or merely an absence of superfluity.

a spare, concise style of writing

When could sparse be used to replace skimpy?

While the synonyms sparse and skimpy are close in meaning, sparse implies a thin scattering of units.

a sparse population

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of skimpy Summer dresses tend to come with skimpy straps or low-plunging necklines. —Bianca Lambert, Glamour, 24 June 2025 Hooters bankruptcy Hooters of America is known for its beer, chicken wings and waitresses who wear skimpy outfits. —Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 June 2025 Because many summer dresses come with skimpy straps or too-short hemlines, they’re best reserved for weekends and travel. —Bianca Kratky, Glamour, 9 June 2025 The women were all young, many teenagers, mostly African American, and had been arrested in skimpy clothing late at night in the cold. —Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 11 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for skimpy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for skimpy
  1. sparse
  2. scarce
Adjective
  • In her prominent book Atlas of AI, renowned Microsoft researcher and academic Kate Crawford documents the vast extractive needs of AI but notes that detailed analysis of materials that will be needed has been sparse.
    — Saleem H. Ali, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
  • Regulations in Hong Kong around the technology are currently sparse.
    — Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 17 July 2025
Definition of sparse
Adjective
  • While specific details of his early childhood are scarce, Weller came of age during a time when distilling was a booming regional industry, often run by farmers and small-business operators who combined their agricultural production with whiskey making.
    — Joseph V Micallef, Forbes.com, 26 July 2025
  • Details after paramedics whisked Valdes away are scarce, her friend says, as no one was allowed to ride with her to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, where she was later pronounced dead.
    — Isabel Rivera, Miami Herald, 24 July 2025
Definition of scarce

Browse Nearby Words

skimps (on)
skimpy
skims
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Skimpy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skimpy. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on skimpy

Nglish: Translation of skimpy for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Using Bullet Points ( • )

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Our Best Historical Slang Terms

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Better Ways to Say 'This Sucks'

8 Words with Fascinating Histories
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Our Best Historical Slang Terms

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All