as in sparse
less plentiful than what is normal, necessary, or desirable
the camera's scanty instructions left me somewhat confused
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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
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
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The social media presence of Sun Space is sparse, so Unusual Tuesday attracts most of its attendees by word of mouth.—
Christopher Buchanan,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
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The size and growth habit depend on the species, some bottlebrushes are dense and compact, lending themselves to be grown as informal hedges, whereas others are sparse and open and can be pruned into a small tree.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
17 May 2026
Adjective
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What Foods Nesting Birds Need in Spring Black oil sunflower seed, safflower seed, cracked corn, and wild bird seed mixes are commonly placed in backyard bird feeders to feed birds in winter when other food sources are scarce.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 May 2026
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Most easily accessible by shelling tours or boat tours, Ten Thousand Islands is a good place to find the scarce Junonia shell, known as the Jewel of Florida, along with whole sand dollars, Florida spiny jewel boxes, and lightning whelks.—
Gabi De la Rosa,
Southern Living,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scanty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scanty. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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