2 syllables: Mea, ger. Stress on Mea.
MEE-gur
/ˈmiɡɚ/
Meager is pronounced MEE-gur (/ˈmiɡɚ/). It has two syllables (Mea-ger), with the stress on "Mea". Meager is an adjective describing something that is insufficient in quantity or quality; it conveys a sense of sparseness or scantiness. It often carries a negative connotation in describing resources, provisions, or results, versus a more neutral “limited.” The term is common in formal and literary contexts and can imply disappointment about the degree of fullness or richness.
adjectiveMeager is an adjective describing something that is insufficient in quantity or quality; it conveys a sense of sparseness or scantiness. It often carries a negative connotation in describing resources, provisions, or results, versus a more neutral “limited.” The term is common in formal and literary contexts and can imply disappointment about the degree of fullness or richness.
"The meager wages barely covered rent and utilities."
"Her meager breakfast left her hungry before noon."
"They gave meager evidence, not enough to convict."
You pronounce it as MEG-ər in US English or MIH-ger in some UK pronunciations, with primary stress on the first syllable. IPA: US /ˈmiːɡər/; UK /ˈmiːɡə/. From a mouth-position view, the first syllable uses a long “ee” vowel, the second is a reduced schwa or a short “ə” sound, and the consonants are voiced. Listen for the long vowel before a weakening second syllable to keep it smooth.
Common errors include misplacing the vowel length in the first syllable, producing a short /ɪ/ as in 'meh' or dropping the final r-sound in non-rhotic varieties. Ensure the 'ea' represents /iː/ in US, avoid turning it into /ɪ/ as in 'meager' mispronunciations; keep the second syllable as a relaxed /ər/ or /ə/ depending on accent. Practice with the sequence /ˈmiːɡər/ to maintain the long first vowel and a light, unstressed second syllable.
US typically uses /ˈmiːɡər/ with a rhotic /r/ in the final syllable and a clear long /iː/ in the first syllable. UK tends toward /ˈmiːɡə/ with a non-rhotic ending, more centralized final vowel. Australian English often is /ˈmiːɡə/ or /ˈmiːɡəɹ/ with a lighter /ɹ/ depending on speaker and region. The key contrasts are rhoticity and vowel quality in the final syllable and the tendency to reduce the second syllable more in UK/AU.
Two main challenges are the long first-vowel quality and the reduced second syllable, which can lead to over-articulation or an extra consonant in the final position. Learners may also accidentally insert a /j/ or slip to /ˈmiːɡwər/ if they linger on the /ɡ/. Focus on the crisp, unstressed second syllable: /ər/ or /ə/ and keep the /ˡmiː/ stable.
A common query is whether to pronounce the second syllable as /ər/ (American) or /ə/ (British) and how to handle the final /r/ in non-rhotic accents. The answer: in US you usually hear /ˈmiːɡər/, with a rhotic final /r/. In non-rhotic British varieties, the final /r/ is often not pronounced, giving /ˈmiːɡə/. In Australian speech, you typically lean toward /ˈmiːɡə/ as well, with subtler rhoticity. Paying attention to your own dialect's rhotic rules will help you choose the appropriate variant.
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Meager comes from the Middle English meagre, derived from the Old French maigre, which itself stems from the Latin macer meaning “lean, slender.” The semantic thread from lean bodies to quantities of resources traces through centuries, with the word often used to describe insufficient provisions or small amounts. In Early Modern English, meagre appears in moral and economic discourse, implying not just smallness but insufficiency in a way that carries social or ethical weight. By the 18th and 19th centuries, it frequently described nourishment or funding that fell short of necessity, gradually stabilizing into the modern sense of “insufficient.” The modern spelling standardized as meager in American usage and meagre in British usage, the pronunciation diverging slightly as a result of rhotic and vowel shifts in different varieties of English. First known uses appear in the late 14th to 15th centuries, with the word evolving through French and Latin roots to denote lean, poor, or scant in both material and abstract contexts.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Meager" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Meager"
-ger sounds
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