scanty
Too small in amount, or only just enough.
scanty in a sentence
- The hungry birds pecked at the scanty crumbs left on the bench.
- The explorers had only scanty supplies left by the end of the journey.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to scanty?
- Askimpy
- Bgenerous
- Cplentiful
- Dample
Show the answer
A: skimpy. The other three mean the opposite of scanty.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to scanty?
- Askimpy
- Bpoor
- Cplentiful
- Dinsufficient
Show the answer
C: plentiful. The other three mean nearly the same as scanty.
Words that mean something similar
skimpy, poor, insufficient
Words that mean the opposite
plentiful, ample, generous
More words about size & amount
- scarce: Hard to find because there is very little of it.
- significant: Big or important enough to be worth noticing.
- sparse: Spread out thinly, with only a small amount in each place.
- stupendous: Amazingly large or impressive.
- substantial: Large enough to matter.
- sufficient: As much as is needed; enough.
- superfluous: More than is needed, and so not necessary.
- superior: Better, higher or more important than others.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test