scantily

American  

[skan-tuh-lee] / ˈskæn tə li /

adverb

1. to a barely sufficient degree; in a meager or barely adequate quantity or way.

   We ate in a room adorned with posters of various scantily clad models.

   The first pioneers arrived in the valley just before winter, worn out and scantily supplied with provisions.

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Etymology

Origin of scantily

First recorded in 1620–30; scanty ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )

Example Sentences

Guests of this Coffin Creek attraction were carted along from one breached containment scenario to the next, with roving monsters periodically surprising them in the darkness between the scantily lighted vignettes.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 31, 2025

That was the experience the actress and writer Amanda Peet had when her now 14-year-old daughter questioned Peet’s commitment to feminism after she criticized a scantily clad TikToker.

From New York Times • Aug. 19, 2021

There were discussions last summer during the anti-racism protests about how police officers were very scantily masking.

From Slate • May 6, 2021

Others counter that Lohfink – a German media personality known for her scantily clad photos – is being unfairly treated specifically because of her free-spirited public persona.

From Washington Post • Jun. 22, 2016

Many of the women standing on line had infants strapped to their backs; others clutched fearful, scantily dressed, barefooted six- and seven-year-old boys and girls.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane

Related Words

• almost
• hardly
• scarcely