This is the 615th most frequent Finnish word.
vajaat
"Vajaat" means "just under," "slightly less than," or "almost" in English.
In this sentence, 'vajaat' means 'less than', indicating an approximate count that is slightly below twenty.
Kahvilassa oli vajaat kaksikymmentä asiakasta.
There were less than twenty customers in the café.
Here, 'vajaat' suggests 'less than', describing an amount slightly under half.
Lasi oli vajaat puolet täysi.
The glass was less than half full.
Here, 'vajaat' is used to describe a quantity slightly less than 'two hours', effectively meaning 'just under'.