meagerly C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈmiɡərli/ UK /ˈmiːɡəli/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adv in a scanty or insufficient manner The workers were meagerly paid for their long hours. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adv · in a scanty or insufficient... scantilysparinglypoorlyinsufficientlyscantly ↔ Opposites abundantlyamplygenerouslyplentifully Word family Related forms meagermeagernessmeagre Etymology AI details From meager (from Old French maigre, from Latin macer 'lean, thin') plus the adverbial suffix -ly. In a scanty or insufficient manner. maigre Old French macer Latin View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # meagerly **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adv **IPA (US):** /ˈmiɡərli/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈmiːɡəli/ ## Meanings 1. in a scanty or insufficient manner ## Examples - The workers were meagerly paid for their long hours. ## Synonyms - scantily - sparingly - poorly - insufficiently - scantly ## Antonyms - abundantly - amply - generously - plentifully ## Related Forms - meager - meagerness - meagre ## Roots and Affixes - Root: maigre - Root: macer ## Etymology From meager (from Old French maigre, from Latin macer 'lean, thin') plus the adverbial suffix -ly. In a scanty or insufficient manner. ## AI Etymology Meagerly comes from meager (from Old French maigre, from Latin macer 'lean, thin') plus the adverbial suffix -ly. In a scanty or insufficient manner. The suffix is part of the word's derivational shape, marking the final grammatical or semantic role while the base supplies the central meaning. As an adverb, it carries the sense "in a scanty or insufficient manner", with the older formation still helping explain the modern use. Relevant historical forms include Old French maigre and Latin macer. Related words include meager, meagerness, meagre. ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown