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View synonyms for scanty

scanty

[ skan-tee ]

adjective

, scant·i·er, scant·i·est.
  1. scant in amount, quantity, etc.; barely sufficient.

    Antonyms: ample, plentiful

  2. meager; not adequate.

    Antonyms: ample, plentiful

  3. lacking amplitude in extent or compass.


noun

, plural scant·ies.
  1. scanties, very brief underpants, especially for women.

scanty

/ ˈskæntɪ /

adjective

  1. limited; barely enough; meagre
  2. insufficient; inadequate
  3. lacking fullness; small
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Derived Forms

  • ˈscantily, adverb
  • ˈscantiness, noun
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Other Words From

  • scant·i·ly adverb
  • scant·i·ness noun
  • un·scant·y adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of scanty1

First recorded in 1650–60; scant + -y 1; scanty ( def 4 ) blend of scanty and panties
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Synonym Study

Scanty, meager, sparse refer to insufficiency or deficiency in quantity, number, etc. Scanty denotes smallness or insufficiency of quantity, number, supply, etc.: a scanty supply of food. Meager indicates that something is poor, stinted, or inadequate: meager fare; a meager income. Sparse applies particularly to that which grows thinly or is thinly strewn or sown, often over a wide area: sparse vegetation; a sparse population.
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Example Sentences

The burials had scanty grave goods—a bead and a dog paw—so it’s hard to connect them to any particular material culture.

In 2005 he was tapped to update the Playboy Bunnies' scanty uniform, and even introduced one version in leopard print.

From BBC

The slight and scanty “Drive-Away Dolls” could dissipate with a gust of wind, but it beats a hasty getaway before that becomes a problem.

It will also impact farming and water supply as scanty snowfall will not replenish groundwater reserves adequately.

From BBC

This is a bad idea, as it would make the real source of the problem — scanty info about city and local issues — worse.

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