Synonyms of scanty

scanty

adjective

ˈskan-tē 

as in sparse

less plentiful than what is normal, necessary, or desirable

the camera's scanty instructions left me somewhat confused

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sparse
• scarce
• scant
• meager
• poor
• skimpy
• lacking
• insufficient
• exiguous
• slender
• lowest
• light
• stingy
• inadequate
• sparing
• small
• spare
• short
• hand-to-mouth
• slim
• mere
• deficient
• minimal
• thin on the ground
• skimp
• thin
• least
• wanting
• slightest
• bare-bones
• sterile
• bare
• slight
• unfruitful
• littlest
• barren
• unproductive
• infertile

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ample
• abundant
• adequate
• sufficient
• copious
• plentiful
• satisfactory
• generous
• bountiful
• enough
• liberal
• rich
• fertile
• tolerable
• fruitful
• plenteous
• fat
• prolific
• lavish
• luxuriant
• extra
• bursting
• fecund
• excess
• flourishing
• surplus
• thriving
• proliferative
• teeming
• blooming
• swarming

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective scanty differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of scanty are meager, scant, skimpy, spare, and sparse. While all these words mean "falling short of what is normal, necessary, or desirable," scanty stresses insufficiency in amount, quantity, or extent.

supplies too scanty to last the winter

When is it sensible to use meager instead of scanty?

The synonyms meager and scanty are sometimes interchangeable, but meager implies the absence of elements, qualities, or numbers necessary to a thing's richness, substance, or potency.

a meager portion of meat

Where would scant be a reasonable alternative to scanty?

In some situations, the words scant and scanty are roughly equivalent. However, scant suggests a falling short of what is desired or desirable rather than of what is essential.

in January the daylight hours are scant

When could skimpy be used to replace scanty?

The words skimpy and scanty can be used in similar contexts, but skimpy usually suggests niggardliness or penury as the cause of the deficiency.

tacky housing developments on skimpy lots

When can spare be used instead of scanty?

The words spare and scanty are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, spare may suggest a slight falling short of adequacy or merely an absence of superfluity.

a spare, concise style of writing

When would sparse be a good substitute for scanty?

Although the words sparse and scanty have much in common, sparse implies a thin scattering of units.

a sparse population

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of scanty

Although the details are scanty, the potential DOE funding is likely to be directed towards this demonstration facility. — Aditya Jadhav, Interesting Engineering, 25 May 2026

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

In the sunshine outside a large convention center in the southern Spanish city of Estepona, some very fit-looking people in scanty clothing applied fake tans and rehearsed statuesque poses. — Washington Post, 16 Nov. 2019