adj. 25B6; adjective
he grew up puny : UNDERSIZED, undernourished, underfed, stunted, slight, small, little; weak, feeble, sickly, delicate, frail, fragile; informal weedy, pint-sized.
puny efforts to save their homes : PITIFUL, pitiable, inadequate, insufficient, derisory, miserable, sorry, meagre, paltry, trifling, inconsequential; informal pathetic, measly, piddling; formal exiguous.
sturdy, substantial.