measly, miserable, paltry

Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

Meager \Mea"ger\, Meagre \Mea"gre\, a. [OE. merge, F. maigre, L. macer; akin to D. & G. mager, Icel. magr, and prob. to Gr. makro`s long. Cf. Emaciate, Maigre.] [1913 Webster]

1.Destitue of, or having little, flesh; lean. [1913 Webster]

Meager were his looks; Sharp misery had worn him to the bones.— Shak.[1913 Webster]

2.Destitute of richness, fertility, strength, or the like; defective in quantity, or poor in quality; poor; barren; scanty in ideas; wanting strength of diction or affluence of imagery; as, meager resources; meager fare. Opposite of ample. [WordNet sense 1] [Narrower terms: exiguous] [Narrower terms: hardscrabble, marginal] [Narrower terms: measly, miserable, paltry] "Meager soil." --Dryden.

Syn: meagre, meagerly, scanty. [1913 Webster]

Of secular habits and meager religious belief.— I. Taylor.[1913 Webster]

His education had been but meager.— Motley.[1913 Webster]

3.(Min.) Dry and harsh to the touch, as chalk. [1913 Webster]

4.less than a desirable amount; -- of items distributed from a larger supply. [WordNet sense 2]

Syn: scrimpy, skimpy, skimping. [WordNet 1.5]

Syn: Thin; lean; lank; gaunt; starved; hungry; poor; emaciated; scanty; barren. [1913 Webster] Meager