scanty
adjective
ˈskan-tē 
scantier; scantiest
: limited or less than sufficient in degree, quantity, or extent
scantily
ˈskan-tə-lē
adverb scantiness
ˈskan-tē-nəs
noun 
Synonyms
- exiguous
- hand-to-mouth
- light
- meager
- meagre
- niggardly
- poor
- scant
- scarce
- skimp
- skimpy
- slender
- slim
- spare
- sparing
- sparse
- stingy
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
The cheerleaders wore scanty outfits. the camera's scanty instructions left me somewhat confused
Recent Examples on the Web The sum total of records from the plague itself is scanty: three letters by Mompesson written in 1666, the parish’s burial register and inscriptions on graves scattered around the village. 
1843, 16 Apr. 2020 When evidence was scanty, or when misconduct needed to be covered up, police routinely perjured themselves to make sure case outcomes turned out as desired. Patrick Blanchfield, The New Republic, 31 Mar. 2020 Given the scale at which the coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc across the globe, India’s scanty testing network might prove to be a terrible nightmare soon. Ananya Bhattacharya, Quartz India, 17 Mar. 2020 Japanese edible chrysanthemum: Data is scanty on other species that are also commonly called daisies, but one with daisylike flowers is definitely edible: Japanese edible chrysanthemum, a.k.a., shungiku or tong ho. Pam Peirce, SFChronicle.com, 7 Feb. 2020 In the sunshine outside a large convention center in the southern Spanish city of Estepona, some very fit-looking people in scanty clothing applied fake tans and rehearsed statuesque poses. Washington Post, 16 Nov. 2019 Falling production This year has been the first in nearly a century when India’s overall monsoon rainfall has exceeded its average levels despite a scanty start to the season in June. Kuwar Singh, Quartz India, 3 Oct. 2019 The Associated Press has not verified who caused the woman’s injury, and photographic evidence has been scanty. Washington Post, 13 Aug. 2019 The city's reservoirs and lakes are parched and its wells have run dry after two years of scanty rains here. Anchorage Daily News, 2 July 2019 See More
1843, 16 Apr. 2020 When evidence was scanty, or when misconduct needed to be covered up, police routinely perjured themselves to make sure case outcomes turned out as desired. Patrick Blanchfield, The New Republic, 31 Mar. 2020 Given the scale at which the coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc across the globe, India’s scanty testing network might prove to be a terrible nightmare soon. Ananya Bhattacharya, Quartz India, 17 Mar. 2020 Japanese edible chrysanthemum: Data is scanty on other species that are also commonly called daisies, but one with daisylike flowers is definitely edible: Japanese edible chrysanthemum, a.k.a., shungiku or tong ho. Pam Peirce, SFChronicle.com, 7 Feb. 2020 In the sunshine outside a large convention center in the southern Spanish city of Estepona, some very fit-looking people in scanty clothing applied fake tans and rehearsed statuesque poses. Washington Post, 16 Nov. 2019 Falling production This year has been the first in nearly a century when India’s overall monsoon rainfall has exceeded its average levels despite a scanty start to the season in June. Kuwar Singh, Quartz India, 3 Oct. 2019 The Associated Press has not verified who caused the woman’s injury, and photographic evidence has been scanty. Washington Post, 13 Aug. 2019 The city's reservoirs and lakes are parched and its wells have run dry after two years of scanty rains here. Anchorage Daily News, 2 July 2019 See More Word History
Etymology
English dialect scant scanty supply, from Middle English, from Old Norse skamt, from neuter of skammr short
First Known Use
1600, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
scanty
adjective
ˈskan-tē
scantier; scantiest
: barely enough : lacking in size or quantity
a scanty harvest
scantiness
noun
as in shortage
a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number the scantiness of grass meant that we had to feed the cows extra hay Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- shortage
- lack
- deficiency
- scarcity
- paucity
- insufficiency
- absence
- inadequacy
- scarceness
- inadequateness
- dearth
- poverty
- famine
- drought
- undersupply
- deficit
- lacuna
- meagerness
- drouth
- failure
- crunch
- pinch
- omission
- poorness
- necessity
- skimpiness
- want
- privation
- need
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- abundance
- sufficiency
- adequacy
- amplitude
- wealth
- plenitude
- opulence
- plenty
- copiousness
- excess
- surplus
- bountifulness
- overabundance
- surfeit
- oversupply