scantier; scantiest
: limited or less than sufficient in degree, quantity, or extent
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
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
Japanese edible chrysanthemum: Data is scanty on other species that are also commonly called daisies, but one with daisylike flowers is definitely edible: Japanese edible chrysanthemum, a.k.a., shungiku or tong ho.
—Pam Peirce, SFChronicle.com, 7 Feb. 2020
See All Example Sentences for scanty
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
Japanese edible chrysanthemum: Data is scanty on other species that are also commonly called daisies, but one with daisylike flowers is definitely edible: Japanese edible chrysanthemum, a.k.a., shungiku or tong ho.
—Pam Peirce, SFChronicle.com, 7 Feb. 2020
See All Example Sentences for scanty
Cite this Entry
“Scanty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scanty. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
scanty
adjective
scantier; scantiest
: very small in size or amount
scanty nourishment
scanty bikinis
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share