VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

scanty

adjective·Academic

Last updated

UK/ˈskænti/
US/ˈskænti/

Meanings

  1. adjectivecomparable

    Too small in amount to be adequate, so that more is needed.

    Grammar: Comparative: scantier; superlative: scantiest. Usually appears before a noun: scanty evidence.

    Patterns

    • scanty evidence
    • scanty information
    • scanty supplies

    The police had only scanty evidence against him.

    Food supplies were scanty after the long winter.

    We got scanty information about the missing hikers.

  2. adjectivecomparable

    Covering very little of the body, so that it seems barely enough.

    Grammar: Used mostly of clothes or coverings: scanty swimwear.

    Patterns

    • scanty clothing
    • scanty covering

    The poster showed dancers in scanty costumes.

    A scanty blanket was no use in the cold tent.

    He appeared in scanty shorts despite the freezing weather.

Word forms

comparativescantier
superlativescantiest

Common combinations

scanty evidence
Scanty evidence made the case hard to prove.
scanty rainfall
Scanty rainfall left the fields dry.
scanty details
The report gave scanty details of the accident.
scanty clothing
Scanty clothing was no protection against the wind.
scanty rations
The soldiers survived on scanty rations.

Synonyms and how they differ

meager
Meager stresses disappointing thinness or poverty and is often used for income, meals or results.
sparse
Sparse describes things spread thinly over an area, such as hair or population, rather than a shortage.
skimpy
Skimpy is informal and often criticizes clothes or portions that are too small.
insufficient
Insufficient is a neutral, formal statement that something is not enough, without the vivid thinness of scanty.

Opposites

ampleabundant

Word family

scant adjective
barely enough or hardly any
scantily adverb
in a way that provides very little, as in scantily dressed
scantiness noun
the state of being too small in amount
scantly adverb
in a barely sufficient way, a rare form

Commonly confused: scanty or scant? scanty or scandy?

scanty vs scant

Scant is the shorter form and is often used before amounts, as in scant attention, while scanty is more common for physical items.

scanty vs scandy

Scandy is not a standard English word; the correct adjective is scanty.

Practice

The explorers were worried because their food supplies were becoming ___.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “scanty”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words