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

Derived Forms

• ˈscantiness, noun
• ˈscantily, adverb

Other Words From

• scant·i·ly adverb
• scant·i·ness noun
• un·scant·y adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of scanty¹

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

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.

Example Sentences

Someone hears how great your app is and immediately searches the name, only to find scanty or no relevant results at all.

From Search Engine Watch

They lean against the fence, hips jutted out, their legs exposed by scanty pink shorts and skimpy dresses.

From The Daily Beast

Others donned Berlusconi masks or carried signs with “No Lie Zone” and photos of young women in scanty costumes.

From The Daily Beast

They could not take both horses; feed would be scanty there, and there would be no need of two horses.

From Project Gutenberg

He had received the scanty education generally bestowed upon the sons of small yeomen at the beginning of the present century.

From Project Gutenberg

He was a fat, heavy man of about fifty years of age, and his scanty hair was turning grey.

From Project Gutenberg

It had been very scanty information and late in its arrival—too late to enable the master manhunter to block the plan.

From Project Gutenberg

The scanty income she had saved from her mother's property rendered it necessary for her to live with the utmost frugality.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• insufficient
• meager
• scant
• skimpy
• sparse