English words for 'Sparse; scanty.'
Closest matches for "Sparse; scanty." are ranked by semantic fit across dictionary definitions.
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- Scant; not abundant or plentiful.
- Lean; lacking flesh; meager; thin; gaunt.
- Austere, stripped down, without what is extraneous.
- Not occupied or in current use.
- Being more than what is necessary, or what must be used or reserved; not wanted, or not used; superfluous.
- (UK, informal) Very angry; frustrated or distraught.
- Sparing; frugal; parsimonious; not spending much money.
- Held in reserve, to be used in an emergency.
- lacking embellishment or ornamentation
- thin and fit
- not taken up by scheduled activities
- kept in reserve especially for emergency use
- more than is needed, desired, or required
- lacking in magnitude or quantity
- The act of sparing; moderation; restraint.
- An opening in a petticoat or gown; a placket.
- Parsimony; frugal use.
- (bowling) The right of bowling again at a full set of pins, after having knocked all the pins down in less than three bowls. If all the pins are knocked down in one bowl it is a double spare; in two bowls, a single spare.
- A spare part, especially a spare tire.
- (bowling) The act of knocking down all remaining pins in second ball of a frame; this entitles the pins knocked down on the next ball to be added to the score for that frame.
- A superfluous or second-best person.
- (Canada) A free period; a block of school during which one does not have a class.
- That which has not been used or expended.
- (Myanmar) assistant or extra hand (typically on buses and lorries)
- an extra component of a machine or other apparatus
- a score in tenpins; knocking down all ten after rolling two balls
- an extra car wheel and tire for a four-wheel vehicle
- (specifically) To refrain from killing (someone) or having (someone) killed.
- (transitive) To keep to oneself; to forbear to impart or give.
- (intransitive) To be frugal; to not be profuse; to live frugally; to be parsimonious.
- (intransitive) To refrain from inflicting harm; to use mercy or forbearance.
- (transitive) (to give up): To deprive oneself of, as by being frugal; to do without; to dispense with; to give up; to part with.
- (transitive) To save or gain, as by frugality; to reserve, as from some occupation, use, or duty.
- (intransitive) To desist; to stop; to refrain.
- (transitive) To preserve (someone) from danger or punishment; to forbear to punish, injure, or harm (someone); to show mercy towards.
- give up what is not strictly needed
- use frugally or carefully
- refrain from harming
- save or relieve from an experience or action
- Sparse and scraggly.
- Characterised by scrabbling, or digging around.
- Rough, poor and uncultured.
- Scribbly.
- Impoverished, hardscrabble
- Having a rough texture; scratchy.
- Stunted.
- Of poor quality; poorly maintained.
- Thrown together; disorganized or slapdash.
- Covered in loose rocks or crumbling soil.
- Characterized by sparse, stunted vegetation, infertile.
- Difficult to negotiate; requiring scrambling.
- sparsely covered with stunted trees or vegetation and underbrush
- very thin and insubstantial
- of comparatively little physical weight or density
- psychologically light; especially free from sadness or troubles
- marked by temperance in indulgence
- of little intensity or power or force
- easily assimilated in the alimentary canal; not rich or heavily seasoned
- not great in degree or quantity or number
- moving easily and quickly; nimble
- (used of vowels or syllables) pronounced with little or no stress
- intended primarily as entertainment; not serious or profound
- (used of color) having a relatively small amount of coloring agent
- designed for ease of movement or to carry little weight
- casual and unrestrained in sexual behavior
- weak and likely to lose consciousness
- (physics, chemistry) not having atomic weight greater than average
- (of sleep) easily disturbed
- silly or trivial
- having relatively few calories
- characterized by or emitting light
- demanding little effort; not burdensome
- less than the correct or legal or full amount often deliberately so
- (of sound or color) free from anything that dulls or dims
- having little importance
- (used of soil) loose and large-grained in consistency
- of the military or industry; using (or being) relatively small or light arms or equipment
- Slight, not forceful or intense; small in amount or intensity.
- Gentle; having little force or momentum.
- Low in fat, calories, alcohol, salt, etc.
- Free from burden or impediment; unencumbered.
- Not encumbered; unembarrassed; clear of impediments; hence, active; nimble; swift.
- With low viscosity.
- (of coffee) Served with extra milk or cream.
- Pale or whitish in color; highly luminous and more or less deficient in chroma.
- Having little or relatively little actual weight; not heavy; not cumbrous or unwieldy.
- (cooking) Not heavy or soggy; spongy; well raised.
- (military) Not heavily armed; armed with light weapons.
- (rail transport, of a locomotive or consist of locomotives) Without any piece of equipment attached or attached only to a caboose.
- Cheerful.
- Easy to endure or perform.
- Having light; bright; clear; not dark or obscure.
- (nautical, of a ship) Riding high because of no cargo; by extension, pertaining to a ship which is light.
- Not quite sound or normal; somewhat impaired or deranged; dizzy; giddy.
- Lightly built; typically designed for speed or small loads.
- Fast; nimble.
- Indulging in, or inclined to, levity; lacking dignity or solemnity; frivolous; airy.
- Of short or insufficient weight; weighing less than the legal, standard, or proper amount; clipped or diminished.
- Having little weight as compared with bulk; of little density or specific gravity.
- Easily interrupted by stimulation.
- Unimportant, trivial, having little value or significance.
- a particular perspective or aspect of a situation
- the quality of being luminous; emitting or reflecting light
- the visual effect of illumination on objects or scenes as created in pictures
- a person regarded very fondly
- a device for lighting or igniting fuel or charges or fires
- a condition of spiritual awareness; divine illumination
- an illuminated area
- mental understanding as an enlightening experience
- having abundant light or illumination
- a visual warning signal
- (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
- merriment expressed by a brightness or gleam or animation of countenance
- any device serving as a source of illumination
- public awareness
- (painting) The manner in which the light strikes a picture; that part of a picture which represents those objects upon which the light is supposed to fall; the more illuminated part of a landscape or other scene; opposed to shade.
- A traffic light, or (by extension) an intersection controlled by traffic lights.
- A notable person within a specific field or discipline.
- (crosswording) The series of squares reserved for the answer to a crossword clue.
- (informal) A cross-light in a double acrostic or triple acrostic.
- (curling) A stone that is not thrown hard enough.
- See lights (“lungs”).
- (by extension) Electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range visible to the human eye or in nearby ranges (infrared or ultraviolet radiation).
- A lightbulb or similar light-emitting device, regardless of whether it is lit.
- (slang) A cigarette lighter.
- A flame or something used to create fire.
- (military, historical) A member of the light cavalry.
- The brightness of the eye or eyes.
- A window in architecture, carriage design, or motor car design: either the opening itself or the window pane of glass that fills it, if any.
- (figurative) Spiritual or mental illumination; enlightenment, useful information.
- (by extension, less commonly) Electromagnetic radiation of any wavelength.
- A point of view, or aspect from which a concept, person or thing is regarded.
- (countable) A source of illumination.
- (physics, uncountable) Electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range visible to the human eye (about 400–750 nanometers): visible light.
- Open view; a visible state or condition; public observation; publicity.
- (Australia, uncountable) A low-alcohol lager.
- The power of perception by vision: eyesight (sightedness; vision).
- A firework made by filling a case with a substance which burns brilliantly with a white or coloured flame.
- begin to smoke
- introduce light into
- alight from (a horse)
- fall to somebody by assignment or lot; passed
- start or maintain a fire in
- cause to start burning; subject to fire or great heat
- to come to rest, settle
- (transitive) To illuminate; to provide light for when it is dark.
- (by extension) To leave; to depart.
- (nautical) To unload a ship, or to jettison material to make it lighter
- To find by chance.
- (transitive) To start (a fire).
- To lighten; to ease of a burden; to take off.
- To stop upon (of eyes or a glance); to notice
- (transitive) To set fire to; to set burning.
- To attend or conduct with a light; to show the way to by means of a light.
- (transitive, pinball) To make (a bonus) available to be collected by hitting a target, and thus light up the feature light corresponding to that bonus to indicate its availability.
- (intransitive) To become ignited; to take fire.
- the property of being scanty or scattered; lacking denseness
- the property of having little body fat
- The property of lacking substance or strength.
- the property of being very narrow or thin
- relatively small dimension through an object as opposed to its length or width
- a consistency of low viscosity
- The state or quality of being thin.
- Slight; minimal.
- (of a being) Lacking strength; weak; languid; inclined to lose consciousness
- Lacking courage, spirit, or energy; cowardly; dejected.
- Performed, done, or acted, weakly; not exhibiting vigor, strength, or energy.
- Barely perceptible; not bright, or loud, or sharp.
- lacking strength or vigor
- weak and likely to lose consciousness
- lacking clarity or distinctness
- lacking conviction or boldness or courage
- indistinctly understood or felt or perceived
- deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
- (intransitive) To lose courage or spirit; to become depressed or despondent.
- (intransitive) To lose consciousness through a lack of oxygen or nutrients to the brain, usually as a result of suddenly reduced blood flow (may be caused by emotional trauma, loss of blood or various medical conditions).
- (intransitive) To decay; to disappear; to vanish.
- pass out from weakness, physical or emotional distress due to a loss of blood supply to the brain
- A small, upright beam of timber used in construction, especially less than five inches square.
- (uncountable) Timber in the form of small beams and pieces.
- (chiefly in the plural) The set size or dimension of a piece of timber, stone etc., or materials used to build ships or aircraft.
- an upright in house framing
- Lacking, without, scant.
- Not, opposite.
- Furthest in position
- (biochemistry) An apoenzyme: an enzyme without its cofactor; associated apoproteins.
- Different, distinct.
- (organic chemisty) Derived from, or related to.
- Away from, outward, or apart in direction.
- Distant, far from, or apart in position.
- Exterior, outside of.
- To carry forth, to do.
- (astronomy) Apoapsis: the point of a body's elliptical orbit about the system's centre of mass where the distance between the body and the centre of mass is at its maximum.
- From, coming from.
- Disjoint, separate.
- Removal, amputation.
- (biochemistry) Lacking a metallic unit.
- Limited in quantity; inadequate; insufficient; scanty.
- (golf) Of an approach shot or putt, that falls short of the green or the hole.
- Having little duration.
- (cricket) Of a ball, bowled so that it bounces relatively far from the batsman.
- (colloquial) Undiluted; neat.
- (finance) Being in a financial investment position that is structured to be profitable if the price of the underlying security declines in the future.
- Having a small distance from one end or edge to another, either horizontally or vertically.
- Insufficiently provided; inadequately supplied, especially with money; scantily furnished; lacking.
- (baking) Of pastries or (metallurgy) of materials, brittle, crumbly.
- (gambling) Of betting odds, offering a small return for the money wagered.
- Deficient; less; not coming up to a measure or standard.
- Abrupt, brief, pointed, curt.
- Of a person, living being, or object, having a comparatively small height.
- (followed by for) Of a word or phrase, constituting an abbreviation (for another) or shortened form (of another).
- (by extension) Doubtful of, skeptical of.
- (cricket) Of a fielder or fielding position, that is relatively close to the batsman.
- marked by rude or peremptory shortness
- not holding securities or commodities that one sells in expectation of a fall in prices
- primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
- of speech sounds or syllables of relatively short duration
- of insufficient quantity to meet a need
- less than the correct or legal or full amount often deliberately so
- tending to crumble or break into flakes due to a large amount of shortening
- (primarily spatial sense) having little length or lacking in length
- lacking foresight or scope
- (of memory) deficient in retentiveness or range
- low in stature; not tall; describing something or someone with a stature less than normal
- Without achieving a goal or requirement.
- Abruptly, curtly, briefly.
- (finance) With a negative ownership position.
- (cricket, of the manner of bounce of a cricket ball) Relatively far from the batsman and hence bouncing higher than normal; opposite of full.
- Unawares.
- so as to interrupt
- at some point or distance before a goal is reached
- quickly and without warning; happening unexpectedly; on impulse; without premeditation
- at a disadvantage
- in a curt, abrupt and discourteous manner
- without possessing something at the time it is contractually sold
- clean across
- (Internet) A short-form vertical video.
- (finance) A short seller.
- A short film.
- A summary account.
- (US, slang) An automobile.
- (finance) A short sale or short position.
- (baseball) A shortstop.
- A short version of a garment in a particular size.
- (phonetics) A short phone (such as a vowel) or syllable.
- A short circuit.
- (programming) An integer variable having a smaller range than normal integers; usually two bytes long.
- the fielding position of the player on a baseball team who is stationed between second and third base
- the location on a baseball field where the shortstop is stationed
- accidental contact between two points in an electric circuit that have a potential difference
- (transitive) To cause a short circuit in (something).
- (intransitive, of an electrical circuit) To short circuit.
- (transitive, business) To sell something, especially securities, that one does not own at the moment for delivery at a later date in hopes of profiting from a decline in the price; to sell short.
- (transitive, informal) To provide with an amount smaller than that agreed or labeled; to shortchange.
- create a short circuit in
- cheat someone by not returning them enough money
- Slight; small; slender; flimsy; superficial; inadequate; not sufficient for a covering.
- (aviation) Of a route: relatively little used.
- Scarce; not close, crowded, or numerous; not filling the space.
- (golf) Describing a poorly played golf shot where the ball is struck by the bottom part of the club head. See fat, shank, toe.
- Lacking body or volume; small; feeble; not full.
- Of low viscosity or low specific gravity.
- Very narrow in all diameters; having a cross section that is small in all directions.
- Having little thickness or extent from one surface to its opposite.
- Poor; scanty; without money or success.
- Having little body fat or flesh; slim; slender; lean; gaunt.
- very narrow
- not dense
- (of sound) lacking resonance or volume
- of relatively small extent from one surface to the opposite or in cross section
- lacking spirit or sincere effort
- relatively thin in consistency or low in density; not viscous
- lacking substance or significance
- lacking excess flesh
- To remove some plants or parts of plants in order to improve the growth of what remains.
- To dilute.
- (intransitive) To become thin or thinner.
- (transitive) To make thin or thinner.
- make thin or thinner
- lessen the strength or flavor of a solution or mixture
- lose thickness; become thin or thinner
- take off weight
- Of little extent; very limited; circumscribed.
- Scrutinizing in detail; close; accurate; exact.
- (figuratively) Restrictive; without flexibility or latitude.
- Parsimonious; niggardly; covetous; selfish.
- Having a small margin or degree.
- (phonetics) Formed (as a vowel) by a close position of some part of the tongue in relation to the palate; or (according to Bell) by a tense condition of the pharynx; distinguished from wide.
- Having a small width; not wide; having opposite edges or sides that are close, especially by comparison to length or depth.
- Contracted; of limited scope; bigoted
- (computing) Of or supporting only those text characters that can fit into the traditional 8-bit representation.
- lacking tolerance or flexibility or breadth of view
- not wide
- very limited in degree
- characterized by painstaking care and detailed examination
- limited in extent or scope
- (transitive, programming) To convert to a data type that cannot hold as many distinct values.
- (of a person or eyes) To partially lower one's eyelids in a way usually taken to suggest a defensive, aggressive or penetrating look.
- (intransitive) To get narrower.
- (knitting) To contract the size of, as a stocking, by taking two stitches into one.
- (transitive) To reduce in width or extent; to contract.
- define clearly
- become tight or as if tight
- become more focused on an area of activity or field of study
- make or become more narrow or restricted
- Having little extra or little to spare; scanty; meagre.
- (business) Efficient, economic, frugal, agile, slimmed-down; pertaining to the modern industrial principles of "lean manufacturing".
- (of meat) Having little fat.
- Having a low proportion or concentration of a desired substance or ingredient.
- (of a person or animal) Slim; not fleshy.
- containing little excess
- not profitable or prosperous
- lacking in mineral content or combustible material
- lacking excess flesh
- (uncountable) Meat with no fat on it.
- (US slang) A recreational drug composed of codeine-promethazine cough syrup mixed with usually soda and associated with the hip-hop culture of the Southern United States.
- (countable, biology) An organism that is lean in stature.
- (of an object taller than its width and depth) An inclination away from the vertical.
- the property possessed by a line or surface that departs from the vertical
- (copulative) To incline in opinion or desire; to conform in conduct; often with to, toward, etc.
- To hang outwards.
- To thin out (a fuel-air mixture): to reduce the fuel flow into the mixture so that there is more air or oxygen.
- (Followed by against, on, or upon) To rest or rely, for support, comfort, to use as a hard surface for writing, etc.
- (intransitive) To incline, deviate, or bend, from a vertical position; to be in a position thus inclining or deviating.
- To press against.
- cause to lean to the side
- have a tendency or disposition to do or be something; be inclined
- rely on for support
- cause to lean or incline
- to incline or bend from a vertical position
- (figuratively) A person or thing of relatively little consequence, importance, or value.
- (sports, especially soccer, cricket) a team that is considered less skilled and not expected to win many, if any, of its matches.
- (fishing) An artificial bait in the form of a small fish.
- Any small fish.
- (British, regional) Synonym of stickleback (family Gasterosteidae).
- Chiefly with a qualifying word: any of a number of other (small) fish from the family Cyprinidae; also (chiefly US), other small (usually freshwater) fish from other families.
- The common minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus), a small freshwater fish of the carp family Cyprinidae which has a green back with black elongated blotches, commonly swimming in large shoals.
- (Australia, New Zealand) Synonym of galaxiid (“any member of the family Galaxiidae of mostly small freshwater fish of the Southern Hemisphere”); specifically, the common galaxias, inanga, or jollytail (Galaxias maculatus).
- very small European freshwater fish common in gravelly streams
- (transitive) To slight, ignore or behave coldly toward someone.
- (transitive) To check; to reprimand.
- (transitive) To clip or break off the end of; to check or stunt the growth of.
- (transitive) To stub out (a cigarette etc).
- To sob with convulsions.
- (transitive) To halt the movement of a rope etc by turning it about a cleat or bollard etc; to secure a vessel in this manner.
- (transitive) To turn down insultingly; to dismiss.
- refuse to acknowledge
- reject outright and bluntly
- Insignificantly small.
- (taxonomy) Of a species, the species name without consideration of whether it is a junior synonym or in reality consists of more than one biological species.
- Assigned to or bearing a person's name.
- Existing in name only.
- (statistics, of a variable) Having values whose order is insignificant.
- (finance) Of, relating to, or being the rate of interest or return without adjustment for compounding or inflation.
- (philosophy) Of or relating to nominalism.
- Of, resembling, relating to, or consisting of a name or names.
- (economics) Without adjustment to remove the effects of inflation.
- (grammar) Of or relating to a noun or word group that functions as a noun.
- (engineering) According to plan or design.
- (finance) Of, relating to, or being the amount or face value of a sum of money or a stock certificate, for example, and not the purchasing power or market value.
- Of or relating to the presumed or approximate value, rather than the actual value.
- of, relating to, or characteristic of an amount that is not adjusted for inflation
- existing in name only
- insignificantly small; a matter of form only (‘tokenish’ is informal)
- pertaining to a noun or to a word group that functions as a noun
- relating to or constituting or bearing or giving a name
- named; bearing the name of a specific person
- (UK, police jargon) A person listed in the Police National Computer database as having been convicted, cautioned or recently arrested.
- (grammar) A noun or word group that functions as part of a noun phrase.
- A number (usually natural) used like a name; a numeric code or identifier. (See nominal number on Wikipedia.)
- (grammar) A part of speech that shares features with nouns and adjectives. (Depending on the language, it may comprise nouns, adjectives, possibly numerals, pronouns, and participles.)
- a phrase that can function as the subject or object of a verb
- relatively moderate, limited, or small
- (of a scale or mode) having half steps between the second and third degrees, and (usually) the fifth and sixth degrees, and the seventh and eighth degrees
- of the younger of two boys with the same family name
- warranting only temporal punishment
- inferior in number or size or amount
- not of legal age
- of lesser seriousness or danger
- lesser in scope or effect
- of lesser importance or stature or rank
- of your secondary field of academic concentration or specialization
- (music, historical) Of or related to the relationship between the longa and the breve in a score.
- (law) Underage, not having reached legal majority.
- (music, historical) Having semibreves twice as long as a minim.
- (mathematics) Of or related to a minor, a determinate obtained by deleting one or more rows and columns from a matrix.
- (music) Smaller by a diatonic semitone than the equivalent major interval.
- (graph theory) Including both directed and undirected edges.
- Lesser, smaller in importance, size, degree, seriousness, or significance compared to another option, particularly:
- (Canada, US, education) Of or related to a minor, a secondary area of undergraduate study.
- (medicine, sometimes figurative) Not serious, not involving risk of death, permanent injury, dangerous surgery, or extended hospitalization.
- (music) Incorporating a minor third interval above the (in scales) tonic or (in chords) root note, (also figurative) tending to produce a dark, discordant, sad, or pensive effect.
- Having little worth or ability; paltry; mean.
- (logic) Acting as the subject of the second premise of a categorical syllogism, which then also acts as the subject of its conclusion.
- a young person of either sex
- (entomology) A leaf-cutter worker ant intermediate in size between a minim and a media.
- (Canada, US, education) A formally recognized secondary area of undergraduate study, requiring fewer course credits than the equivalent major.
- (campanology) Changes rung on six bells.
- (rugby, historical) Ellipsis of minor point (“a lesser score formerly gained by certain actions”).
- (law) A child, a person who has not reached the age of majority, consent, etc. and is legally subject to fewer responsibilities and less accountability and entitled to fewer legal rights and privileges.
- (Canada, US, education, uncommon) A person who is completing or has completed such a course of study.
- (Australian football) Synonym of behind: a one-point kick.
- (Catholicism) Alternative letter-case form of Minor: a Franciscan friar, a Clarist nun.
- (baseball) Ellipsis of minor league (“the lower level of teams”).
- (entomology) Any of various noctuid moths in Europe and Asia, chiefly in the Oligia and Mesoligia genera.
- (logic) Ellipsis of minor term or minor premise.
- (ice hockey) Ellipsis of minor penalty (“a penalty requiring a player to leave the ice for 2 minutes unless the opposing team scores”).
- (mathematics) A determinant of a square matrix obtained by deleting one or more rows and columns.
- (bridge) Ellipsis of minor suit, a card of a minor suit.
- (music) Ellipsis of minor interval, minor scale, minor mode, minor key, minor chord, or minor triad.
- (graph theory) Short for graph minor
- A lesser person or thing, a person, group, or thing of minor rank or in the minor leagues.
- relatively moderate, limited, or small
- marked by simplicity; having a humble opinion of yourself
- not large but sufficient in size or amount
- humble in spirit or manner; suggesting retiring mildness or even cowed submissiveness
- low or inferior in station or quality
- free from pomp or affectation
- not offensive to sexual mores in conduct or appearance
- Not bragging or boasting about oneself or one's achievements; unpretentious, humble.
- (especially of behavior or clothing) Intending to avoid the encouraging of sexual attraction in others.
- Small, moderate in size.
- Pure and delicate from a sense of propriety.
- relatively moderate, limited, or small
- slight or limited; especially in degree or intensity or scope
- (of a voice) faint
- limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
- (of children and animals) young, immature
- not large but sufficient in size or amount
- lowercase
- low or inferior in station or quality
- have fine or very small constituent particles
- made to seem smaller or less (especially in worth)
- Having a small penis, muscles, or other important body parts, regardless of overall body size.
- Not prolonged in duration; not extended in time; short.
- Humiliated or insignificant.
- (figuratively, not comparable) Young, as a child.
- (especially clothing, food or drink) That is small (the manufactured size).
- Synonym of little (“of an industry or institution(s) therein: operating on a small scale, unlike larger counterparts”).
- (writing, not comparable) Minuscule or lowercase, referring to written or printed letters.
- Evincing little worth or ability; not large-minded; paltry; mean.
- Not large or big; insignificant; few in number.
- the slender part of the back
- a garment size for a small person
- (countable, especially clothing, food or drink) An item labelled or denoted as being that size.
- (countable, rare) Any part of something that is smaller or slimmer than the rest, now usually with anatomical reference to the back.
- (uncountable, especially clothing, food or drink) One of several common sizes to which an item may be manufactured, smaller than a medium.
- (countable, especially with respect to clothing) One who fits an item of that size.
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- the property of being scanty or scattered; lacking denseness
- the property of having little body fat
- The property of lacking substance or strength.
- the property of being very narrow or thin
- relatively small dimension through an object as opposed to its length or width
- a consistency of low viscosity
- The state or quality of being thin.
noun
- Scant; not abundant or plentiful.
- Lean; lacking flesh; meager; thin; gaunt.
- Austere, stripped down, without what is extraneous.
- Not occupied or in current use.
- Being more than what is necessary, or what must be used or reserved; not wanted, or not used; superfluous.
- (UK, informal) Very angry; frustrated or distraught.
- Sparing; frugal; parsimonious; not spending much money.
- Held in reserve, to be used in an emergency.
- lacking embellishment or ornamentation
- thin and fit
- not taken up by scheduled activities
- kept in reserve especially for emergency use
- more than is needed, desired, or required
- lacking in magnitude or quantity
- The act of sparing; moderation; restraint.
- An opening in a petticoat or gown; a placket.
- Parsimony; frugal use.
- (bowling) The right of bowling again at a full set of pins, after having knocked all the pins down in less than three bowls. If all the pins are knocked down in one bowl it is a double spare; in two bowls, a single spare.
- A spare part, especially a spare tire.
- (bowling) The act of knocking down all remaining pins in second ball of a frame; this entitles the pins knocked down on the next ball to be added to the score for that frame.
- A superfluous or second-best person.
- (Canada) A free period; a block of school during which one does not have a class.
- That which has not been used or expended.
- (Myanmar) assistant or extra hand (typically on buses and lorries)
- an extra component of a machine or other apparatus
- a score in tenpins; knocking down all ten after rolling two balls
- an extra car wheel and tire for a four-wheel vehicle
- (specifically) To refrain from killing (someone) or having (someone) killed.
- (transitive) To keep to oneself; to forbear to impart or give.
- (intransitive) To be frugal; to not be profuse; to live frugally; to be parsimonious.
- (intransitive) To refrain from inflicting harm; to use mercy or forbearance.
- (transitive) (to give up): To deprive oneself of, as by being frugal; to do without; to dispense with; to give up; to part with.
- (transitive) To save or gain, as by frugality; to reserve, as from some occupation, use, or duty.
- (intransitive) To desist; to stop; to refrain.
- (transitive) To preserve (someone) from danger or punishment; to forbear to punish, injure, or harm (someone); to show mercy towards.
- give up what is not strictly needed
- use frugally or carefully
- refrain from harming
- save or relieve from an experience or action
- Sparse and scraggly.
- Characterised by scrabbling, or digging around.
- Rough, poor and uncultured.
- Scribbly.
- Impoverished, hardscrabble
- Having a rough texture; scratchy.
- Stunted.
- Of poor quality; poorly maintained.
- Thrown together; disorganized or slapdash.
- Covered in loose rocks or crumbling soil.
- Characterized by sparse, stunted vegetation, infertile.
- Difficult to negotiate; requiring scrambling.
- sparsely covered with stunted trees or vegetation and underbrush
- very thin and insubstantial
- of comparatively little physical weight or density
- psychologically light; especially free from sadness or troubles
- marked by temperance in indulgence
- of little intensity or power or force
- easily assimilated in the alimentary canal; not rich or heavily seasoned
- not great in degree or quantity or number
- moving easily and quickly; nimble
- (used of vowels or syllables) pronounced with little or no stress
- intended primarily as entertainment; not serious or profound
- (used of color) having a relatively small amount of coloring agent
- designed for ease of movement or to carry little weight
- casual and unrestrained in sexual behavior
- weak and likely to lose consciousness
- (physics, chemistry) not having atomic weight greater than average
- (of sleep) easily disturbed
- silly or trivial
- having relatively few calories
- characterized by or emitting light
- demanding little effort; not burdensome
- less than the correct or legal or full amount often deliberately so
- (of sound or color) free from anything that dulls or dims
- having little importance
- (used of soil) loose and large-grained in consistency
- of the military or industry; using (or being) relatively small or light arms or equipment
- Slight, not forceful or intense; small in amount or intensity.
- Gentle; having little force or momentum.
- Low in fat, calories, alcohol, salt, etc.
- Free from burden or impediment; unencumbered.
- Not encumbered; unembarrassed; clear of impediments; hence, active; nimble; swift.
- With low viscosity.
- (of coffee) Served with extra milk or cream.
- Pale or whitish in color; highly luminous and more or less deficient in chroma.
- Having little or relatively little actual weight; not heavy; not cumbrous or unwieldy.
- (cooking) Not heavy or soggy; spongy; well raised.
- (military) Not heavily armed; armed with light weapons.
- (rail transport, of a locomotive or consist of locomotives) Without any piece of equipment attached or attached only to a caboose.
- Cheerful.
- Easy to endure or perform.
- Having light; bright; clear; not dark or obscure.
- (nautical, of a ship) Riding high because of no cargo; by extension, pertaining to a ship which is light.
- Not quite sound or normal; somewhat impaired or deranged; dizzy; giddy.
- Lightly built; typically designed for speed or small loads.
- Fast; nimble.
- Indulging in, or inclined to, levity; lacking dignity or solemnity; frivolous; airy.
- Of short or insufficient weight; weighing less than the legal, standard, or proper amount; clipped or diminished.
- Having little weight as compared with bulk; of little density or specific gravity.
- Easily interrupted by stimulation.
- Unimportant, trivial, having little value or significance.
- a particular perspective or aspect of a situation
- the quality of being luminous; emitting or reflecting light
- the visual effect of illumination on objects or scenes as created in pictures
- a person regarded very fondly
- a device for lighting or igniting fuel or charges or fires
- a condition of spiritual awareness; divine illumination
- an illuminated area
- mental understanding as an enlightening experience
- having abundant light or illumination
- a visual warning signal
- (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
- merriment expressed by a brightness or gleam or animation of countenance
- any device serving as a source of illumination
- public awareness
- (painting) The manner in which the light strikes a picture; that part of a picture which represents those objects upon which the light is supposed to fall; the more illuminated part of a landscape or other scene; opposed to shade.
- A traffic light, or (by extension) an intersection controlled by traffic lights.
- A notable person within a specific field or discipline.
- (crosswording) The series of squares reserved for the answer to a crossword clue.
- (informal) A cross-light in a double acrostic or triple acrostic.
- (curling) A stone that is not thrown hard enough.
- See lights (“lungs”).
- (by extension) Electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range visible to the human eye or in nearby ranges (infrared or ultraviolet radiation).
- A lightbulb or similar light-emitting device, regardless of whether it is lit.
- (slang) A cigarette lighter.
- A flame or something used to create fire.
- (military, historical) A member of the light cavalry.
- The brightness of the eye or eyes.
- A window in architecture, carriage design, or motor car design: either the opening itself or the window pane of glass that fills it, if any.
- (figurative) Spiritual or mental illumination; enlightenment, useful information.
- (by extension, less commonly) Electromagnetic radiation of any wavelength.
- A point of view, or aspect from which a concept, person or thing is regarded.
- (countable) A source of illumination.
- (physics, uncountable) Electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range visible to the human eye (about 400–750 nanometers): visible light.
- Open view; a visible state or condition; public observation; publicity.
- (Australia, uncountable) A low-alcohol lager.
- The power of perception by vision: eyesight (sightedness; vision).
- A firework made by filling a case with a substance which burns brilliantly with a white or coloured flame.
- begin to smoke
- introduce light into
- alight from (a horse)
- fall to somebody by assignment or lot; passed
- start or maintain a fire in
- cause to start burning; subject to fire or great heat
- to come to rest, settle
- (transitive) To illuminate; to provide light for when it is dark.
- (by extension) To leave; to depart.
- (nautical) To unload a ship, or to jettison material to make it lighter
- To find by chance.
- (transitive) To start (a fire).
- To lighten; to ease of a burden; to take off.
- To stop upon (of eyes or a glance); to notice
- (transitive) To set fire to; to set burning.
- To attend or conduct with a light; to show the way to by means of a light.
- (transitive, pinball) To make (a bonus) available to be collected by hitting a target, and thus light up the feature light corresponding to that bonus to indicate its availability.
- (intransitive) To become ignited; to take fire.
- Slight; minimal.
- (of a being) Lacking strength; weak; languid; inclined to lose consciousness
- Lacking courage, spirit, or energy; cowardly; dejected.
- Performed, done, or acted, weakly; not exhibiting vigor, strength, or energy.
- Barely perceptible; not bright, or loud, or sharp.
- lacking strength or vigor
- weak and likely to lose consciousness
- lacking clarity or distinctness
- lacking conviction or boldness or courage
- indistinctly understood or felt or perceived
- deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
- (intransitive) To lose courage or spirit; to become depressed or despondent.
- (intransitive) To lose consciousness through a lack of oxygen or nutrients to the brain, usually as a result of suddenly reduced blood flow (may be caused by emotional trauma, loss of blood or various medical conditions).
- (intransitive) To decay; to disappear; to vanish.
- pass out from weakness, physical or emotional distress due to a loss of blood supply to the brain
- A small, upright beam of timber used in construction, especially less than five inches square.
- (uncountable) Timber in the form of small beams and pieces.
- (chiefly in the plural) The set size or dimension of a piece of timber, stone etc., or materials used to build ships or aircraft.
- an upright in house framing
- Limited in quantity; inadequate; insufficient; scanty.
- (golf) Of an approach shot or putt, that falls short of the green or the hole.
- Having little duration.
- (cricket) Of a ball, bowled so that it bounces relatively far from the batsman.
- (colloquial) Undiluted; neat.
- (finance) Being in a financial investment position that is structured to be profitable if the price of the underlying security declines in the future.
- Having a small distance from one end or edge to another, either horizontally or vertically.
- Insufficiently provided; inadequately supplied, especially with money; scantily furnished; lacking.
- (baking) Of pastries or (metallurgy) of materials, brittle, crumbly.
- (gambling) Of betting odds, offering a small return for the money wagered.
- Deficient; less; not coming up to a measure or standard.
- Abrupt, brief, pointed, curt.
- Of a person, living being, or object, having a comparatively small height.
- (followed by for) Of a word or phrase, constituting an abbreviation (for another) or shortened form (of another).
- (by extension) Doubtful of, skeptical of.
- (cricket) Of a fielder or fielding position, that is relatively close to the batsman.
- marked by rude or peremptory shortness
- not holding securities or commodities that one sells in expectation of a fall in prices
- primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
- of speech sounds or syllables of relatively short duration
- of insufficient quantity to meet a need
- less than the correct or legal or full amount often deliberately so
- tending to crumble or break into flakes due to a large amount of shortening
- (primarily spatial sense) having little length or lacking in length
- lacking foresight or scope
- (of memory) deficient in retentiveness or range
- low in stature; not tall; describing something or someone with a stature less than normal
- Without achieving a goal or requirement.
- Abruptly, curtly, briefly.
- (finance) With a negative ownership position.
- (cricket, of the manner of bounce of a cricket ball) Relatively far from the batsman and hence bouncing higher than normal; opposite of full.
- Unawares.
- so as to interrupt
- at some point or distance before a goal is reached
- quickly and without warning; happening unexpectedly; on impulse; without premeditation
- at a disadvantage
- in a curt, abrupt and discourteous manner
- without possessing something at the time it is contractually sold
- clean across
- (Internet) A short-form vertical video.
- (finance) A short seller.
- A short film.
- A summary account.
- (US, slang) An automobile.
- (finance) A short sale or short position.
- (baseball) A shortstop.
- A short version of a garment in a particular size.
- (phonetics) A short phone (such as a vowel) or syllable.
- A short circuit.
- (programming) An integer variable having a smaller range than normal integers; usually two bytes long.
- the fielding position of the player on a baseball team who is stationed between second and third base
- the location on a baseball field where the shortstop is stationed
- accidental contact between two points in an electric circuit that have a potential difference
- (transitive) To cause a short circuit in (something).
- (intransitive, of an electrical circuit) To short circuit.
- (transitive, business) To sell something, especially securities, that one does not own at the moment for delivery at a later date in hopes of profiting from a decline in the price; to sell short.
- (transitive, informal) To provide with an amount smaller than that agreed or labeled; to shortchange.
- create a short circuit in
- cheat someone by not returning them enough money
- Slight; small; slender; flimsy; superficial; inadequate; not sufficient for a covering.
- (aviation) Of a route: relatively little used.
- Scarce; not close, crowded, or numerous; not filling the space.
- (golf) Describing a poorly played golf shot where the ball is struck by the bottom part of the club head. See fat, shank, toe.
- Lacking body or volume; small; feeble; not full.
- Of low viscosity or low specific gravity.
- Very narrow in all diameters; having a cross section that is small in all directions.
- Having little thickness or extent from one surface to its opposite.
- Poor; scanty; without money or success.
- Having little body fat or flesh; slim; slender; lean; gaunt.
- very narrow
- not dense
- (of sound) lacking resonance or volume
- of relatively small extent from one surface to the opposite or in cross section
- lacking spirit or sincere effort
- relatively thin in consistency or low in density; not viscous
- lacking substance or significance
- lacking excess flesh
- To remove some plants or parts of plants in order to improve the growth of what remains.
- To dilute.
- (intransitive) To become thin or thinner.
- (transitive) To make thin or thinner.
- make thin or thinner
- lessen the strength or flavor of a solution or mixture
- lose thickness; become thin or thinner
- take off weight
- Of little extent; very limited; circumscribed.
- Scrutinizing in detail; close; accurate; exact.
- (figuratively) Restrictive; without flexibility or latitude.
- Parsimonious; niggardly; covetous; selfish.
- Having a small margin or degree.
- (phonetics) Formed (as a vowel) by a close position of some part of the tongue in relation to the palate; or (according to Bell) by a tense condition of the pharynx; distinguished from wide.
- Having a small width; not wide; having opposite edges or sides that are close, especially by comparison to length or depth.
- Contracted; of limited scope; bigoted
- (computing) Of or supporting only those text characters that can fit into the traditional 8-bit representation.
- lacking tolerance or flexibility or breadth of view
- not wide
- very limited in degree
- characterized by painstaking care and detailed examination
- limited in extent or scope
- (transitive, programming) To convert to a data type that cannot hold as many distinct values.
- (of a person or eyes) To partially lower one's eyelids in a way usually taken to suggest a defensive, aggressive or penetrating look.
- (intransitive) To get narrower.
- (knitting) To contract the size of, as a stocking, by taking two stitches into one.
- (transitive) To reduce in width or extent; to contract.
- define clearly
- become tight or as if tight
- become more focused on an area of activity or field of study
- make or become more narrow or restricted
- Having little extra or little to spare; scanty; meagre.
- (business) Efficient, economic, frugal, agile, slimmed-down; pertaining to the modern industrial principles of "lean manufacturing".
- (of meat) Having little fat.
- Having a low proportion or concentration of a desired substance or ingredient.
- (of a person or animal) Slim; not fleshy.
- containing little excess
- not profitable or prosperous
- lacking in mineral content or combustible material
- lacking excess flesh
- (uncountable) Meat with no fat on it.
- (US slang) A recreational drug composed of codeine-promethazine cough syrup mixed with usually soda and associated with the hip-hop culture of the Southern United States.
- (countable, biology) An organism that is lean in stature.
- (of an object taller than its width and depth) An inclination away from the vertical.
- the property possessed by a line or surface that departs from the vertical
- (copulative) To incline in opinion or desire; to conform in conduct; often with to, toward, etc.
- To hang outwards.
- To thin out (a fuel-air mixture): to reduce the fuel flow into the mixture so that there is more air or oxygen.
- (Followed by against, on, or upon) To rest or rely, for support, comfort, to use as a hard surface for writing, etc.
- (intransitive) To incline, deviate, or bend, from a vertical position; to be in a position thus inclining or deviating.
- To press against.
- cause to lean to the side
- have a tendency or disposition to do or be something; be inclined
- rely on for support
- cause to lean or incline
- to incline or bend from a vertical position
- (figuratively) A person or thing of relatively little consequence, importance, or value.
- (sports, especially soccer, cricket) a team that is considered less skilled and not expected to win many, if any, of its matches.
- (fishing) An artificial bait in the form of a small fish.
- Any small fish.
- (British, regional) Synonym of stickleback (family Gasterosteidae).
- Chiefly with a qualifying word: any of a number of other (small) fish from the family Cyprinidae; also (chiefly US), other small (usually freshwater) fish from other families.
- The common minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus), a small freshwater fish of the carp family Cyprinidae which has a green back with black elongated blotches, commonly swimming in large shoals.
- (Australia, New Zealand) Synonym of galaxiid (“any member of the family Galaxiidae of mostly small freshwater fish of the Southern Hemisphere”); specifically, the common galaxias, inanga, or jollytail (Galaxias maculatus).
- very small European freshwater fish common in gravelly streams
- (transitive) To slight, ignore or behave coldly toward someone.
- (transitive) To check; to reprimand.
- (transitive) To clip or break off the end of; to check or stunt the growth of.
- (transitive) To stub out (a cigarette etc).
- To sob with convulsions.
- (transitive) To halt the movement of a rope etc by turning it about a cleat or bollard etc; to secure a vessel in this manner.
- (transitive) To turn down insultingly; to dismiss.
- refuse to acknowledge
- reject outright and bluntly
- Insignificantly small.
- (taxonomy) Of a species, the species name without consideration of whether it is a junior synonym or in reality consists of more than one biological species.
- Assigned to or bearing a person's name.
- Existing in name only.
- (statistics, of a variable) Having values whose order is insignificant.
- (finance) Of, relating to, or being the rate of interest or return without adjustment for compounding or inflation.
- (philosophy) Of or relating to nominalism.
- Of, resembling, relating to, or consisting of a name or names.
- (economics) Without adjustment to remove the effects of inflation.
- (grammar) Of or relating to a noun or word group that functions as a noun.
- (engineering) According to plan or design.
- (finance) Of, relating to, or being the amount or face value of a sum of money or a stock certificate, for example, and not the purchasing power or market value.
- Of or relating to the presumed or approximate value, rather than the actual value.
- of, relating to, or characteristic of an amount that is not adjusted for inflation
- existing in name only
- insignificantly small; a matter of form only (‘tokenish’ is informal)
- pertaining to a noun or to a word group that functions as a noun
- relating to or constituting or bearing or giving a name
- named; bearing the name of a specific person
- (UK, police jargon) A person listed in the Police National Computer database as having been convicted, cautioned or recently arrested.
- (grammar) A noun or word group that functions as part of a noun phrase.
- A number (usually natural) used like a name; a numeric code or identifier. (See nominal number on Wikipedia.)
- (grammar) A part of speech that shares features with nouns and adjectives. (Depending on the language, it may comprise nouns, adjectives, possibly numerals, pronouns, and participles.)
- a phrase that can function as the subject or object of a verb
- relatively moderate, limited, or small
- (of a scale or mode) having half steps between the second and third degrees, and (usually) the fifth and sixth degrees, and the seventh and eighth degrees
- of the younger of two boys with the same family name
- warranting only temporal punishment
- inferior in number or size or amount
- not of legal age
- of lesser seriousness or danger
- lesser in scope or effect
- of lesser importance or stature or rank
- of your secondary field of academic concentration or specialization
- (music, historical) Of or related to the relationship between the longa and the breve in a score.
- (law) Underage, not having reached legal majority.
- (music, historical) Having semibreves twice as long as a minim.
- (mathematics) Of or related to a minor, a determinate obtained by deleting one or more rows and columns from a matrix.
- (music) Smaller by a diatonic semitone than the equivalent major interval.
- (graph theory) Including both directed and undirected edges.
- Lesser, smaller in importance, size, degree, seriousness, or significance compared to another option, particularly:
- (Canada, US, education) Of or related to a minor, a secondary area of undergraduate study.
- (medicine, sometimes figurative) Not serious, not involving risk of death, permanent injury, dangerous surgery, or extended hospitalization.
- (music) Incorporating a minor third interval above the (in scales) tonic or (in chords) root note, (also figurative) tending to produce a dark, discordant, sad, or pensive effect.
- Having little worth or ability; paltry; mean.
- (logic) Acting as the subject of the second premise of a categorical syllogism, which then also acts as the subject of its conclusion.
- a young person of either sex
- (entomology) A leaf-cutter worker ant intermediate in size between a minim and a media.
- (Canada, US, education) A formally recognized secondary area of undergraduate study, requiring fewer course credits than the equivalent major.
- (campanology) Changes rung on six bells.
- (rugby, historical) Ellipsis of minor point (“a lesser score formerly gained by certain actions”).
- (law) A child, a person who has not reached the age of majority, consent, etc. and is legally subject to fewer responsibilities and less accountability and entitled to fewer legal rights and privileges.
- (Canada, US, education, uncommon) A person who is completing or has completed such a course of study.
- (Australian football) Synonym of behind: a one-point kick.
- (Catholicism) Alternative letter-case form of Minor: a Franciscan friar, a Clarist nun.
- (baseball) Ellipsis of minor league (“the lower level of teams”).
- (entomology) Any of various noctuid moths in Europe and Asia, chiefly in the Oligia and Mesoligia genera.
- (logic) Ellipsis of minor term or minor premise.
- (ice hockey) Ellipsis of minor penalty (“a penalty requiring a player to leave the ice for 2 minutes unless the opposing team scores”).
- (mathematics) A determinant of a square matrix obtained by deleting one or more rows and columns.
- (bridge) Ellipsis of minor suit, a card of a minor suit.
- (music) Ellipsis of minor interval, minor scale, minor mode, minor key, minor chord, or minor triad.
- (graph theory) Short for graph minor
- A lesser person or thing, a person, group, or thing of minor rank or in the minor leagues.
- relatively moderate, limited, or small
- marked by simplicity; having a humble opinion of yourself
- not large but sufficient in size or amount
- humble in spirit or manner; suggesting retiring mildness or even cowed submissiveness
- low or inferior in station or quality
- free from pomp or affectation
- not offensive to sexual mores in conduct or appearance
- Not bragging or boasting about oneself or one's achievements; unpretentious, humble.
- (especially of behavior or clothing) Intending to avoid the encouraging of sexual attraction in others.
- Small, moderate in size.
- Pure and delicate from a sense of propriety.
- relatively moderate, limited, or small
- slight or limited; especially in degree or intensity or scope
- (of a voice) faint
- limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
- (of children and animals) young, immature
- not large but sufficient in size or amount
- lowercase
- low or inferior in station or quality
- have fine or very small constituent particles
- made to seem smaller or less (especially in worth)
- Having a small penis, muscles, or other important body parts, regardless of overall body size.
- Not prolonged in duration; not extended in time; short.
- Humiliated or insignificant.
- (figuratively, not comparable) Young, as a child.
- (especially clothing, food or drink) That is small (the manufactured size).
- Synonym of little (“of an industry or institution(s) therein: operating on a small scale, unlike larger counterparts”).
- (writing, not comparable) Minuscule or lowercase, referring to written or printed letters.
- Evincing little worth or ability; not large-minded; paltry; mean.
- Not large or big; insignificant; few in number.
- the slender part of the back
- a garment size for a small person
- (countable, especially clothing, food or drink) An item labelled or denoted as being that size.
- (countable, rare) Any part of something that is smaller or slimmer than the rest, now usually with anatomical reference to the back.
- (uncountable, especially clothing, food or drink) One of several common sizes to which an item may be manufactured, smaller than a medium.
- (countable, especially with respect to clothing) One who fits an item of that size.