scantier; scantiest
: limited or less than sufficient in degree, quantity, or extent
Synonyms
Examples of scanty in a Sentence
The cheerleaders wore scanty outfits.
the camera's scanty instructions left me somewhat confused
Recent Examples on the Web
Smaller galaxies yielded even scantier quantities, with visible matter making up only about 0.05 percent of the least massive galaxies studied, Willman 1 and Segue 1.
—
Andrew Grant, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019
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
See all Example Sentences for scanty 
Andrew Grant, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019
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
See all Example Sentences for scanty
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scanty.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near scanty
Cite this Entry
“Scanty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scanty. Accessed 20 Aug. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
scanty
adjective
scantier; scantiest
: very small in size or amount
scanty nourishment
scanty bikinis
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