scant

[ skant ]

adjective

, scant·er, scant·est.

1. barely sufficient in amount or quantity; not abundant; almost inadequate:

   to do scant justice.

2. limited; meager; not large:

   a scant amount.

   Synonyms: restricted, small, scanty

3. barely amounting to as much as indicated:

   a scant two hours; a scant cupful.

4. having an inadequate or limited supply (usually followed by of ):

   scant of breath.

   Synonyms: deficient, wanting, lacking, short

verb (used with object)

1. to make scant; diminish.

   Synonyms: curtail, decrease, reduce, lessen

2. to stint the supply of; withhold.

   Synonyms: scrimp, skimp, restrict, limit

3. to treat slightly or inadequately.

   Synonyms: neglect, slight

adverb

1. Scot. and North England Dialect. scarcely; barely; hardly.

scant

/ skænt /

adjective

1. scarcely sufficient; limited

   he paid her scant attention

2. prenominal slightly short of the amount indicated; bare

   a scant ten inches

3. postpositivefoll byof having a short supply (of)

verb

1. to limit in size or quantity
2. to provide with a limited or inadequate supply of
3. to treat in a slighting or inadequate manner

adverb

1. scarcely; barely

Derived Forms

• ˈscantly, adverb
• ˈscantness, noun

Other Words From

• scantly adverb
• scantness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of scant¹

1325–75; Middle English (adj.) < Old Norse skamt, neuter of skammr short

Word History and Origins

Origin of scant¹

C14: from Old Norse skamt, from skammr /short; related to Old High German scam

Example Sentences

Just a scant few election cycles ago, the tenor of political debate featured losers who conceded, voters who didn't storm the Capitol and representatives who didn't try to overturn elections.

From Salon

While there is some analysis of women’s economic concerns, it’s scant compared with the deep dives into the concerns of male voters.

From Los Angeles Times

The fungus invades the skin tissue of hibernating bats and causes them to wake too often or too early during winter, depleting their precious fat stores when there’s scant food.

From Los Angeles Times

For now - on the scant evidence that is available - Israel may have heeded Washington's warnings and reined in some of its more ambitious plans to cause maximum pain to the Iranian authorities.

From BBC

But there is scant agreement on what that entails: hundreds of housing units, or retail and social center for vets living far and wide.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• insufficient
• mere
• paltry
• scanty
• skimpy
• slight
• sparse