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

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.
Recent Examples of scanty 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 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 Smaller galaxies yielded even scantier quantities, with visible matter making up only about 0.05 percent of the least massive galaxies studied, Willman 1 and Segue 1. Andrew Grant, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019 See All Example Sentences for scanty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scanty
Adjective
  • A couple of weeks before the opening there was a launch of the memoir at Skylight which had a very sparse attendance.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Indeed, Mamdani’s promise to focus on affordability seems to have resonated with the rank-and file industry workers at a time of sparse job opportunities and skyrocketing cost of living.
    Peter Kiefer, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • At the same time, live sports are no longer scarce.
    Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 27 Oct. 2025
  • When food is scarce, Edge said deer turn to berries from evergreen species like juniper.
    Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean, 27 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Scanty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scanty. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on scanty

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