scant

1 of 3

adjective

ˈskant 

1

dialect

a

: excessively frugal

b

: not prodigal : chary

2

a

: barely or scarcely sufficient

especially : not quite coming up to a stated measure

a scant teaspoon

b

: lacking in amplitude or quantity

scant growth

3

: having a small or insufficient supply

he's fat, and scant of breath

—William Shakespeare

scantly adverb

scantness noun

scant

2 of 3

adverb

dialect

: scarcely, hardly

scant

3 of 3

verb

scanted; scanting; scants

transitive verb

1

: to provide an incomplete supply of

2

: to make small, narrow, or meager

3

: to give scant attention to : slight

4

: to provide with a meager or inadequate portion or supply : stint

Synonyms

Adjective

• exiguous
• hand-to-mouth
• light
• meager
• meagre
• niggardly
• poor
• scanty
• scarce
• skimp
• skimpy
• slender
• slim
• spare
• sparing
• sparse
• stingy

Verb

• nurse
• skimp (on)
• spare
• stint (on)

Choose the Right Synonym for scant

meager, scanty, scant, skimpy, spare, sparse mean falling short of what is normal, necessary, or desirable.

meager implies the absence of elements, qualities, or numbers necessary to a thing's richness, substance, or potency.

a meager portion of meat

scanty stresses insufficiency in amount, quantity, or extent.

supplies too scanty to last the winter

scant suggests a falling short of what is desired or desirable rather than of what is essential.

in January the daylight hours are scant

skimpy usually suggests niggardliness or penury as the cause of the deficiency.

tacky housing developments on skimpy lots

spare may suggest a slight falling short of adequacy or merely an absence of superfluity.

a spare, concise style of writing

sparse implies a thin scattering of units.

a sparse population

Examples of scant in a Sentence

Adjective

Food was in scant supply.

She paid scant attention to the facts.

Police found scant evidence of fraud.

Verb

don't scant the peanut butter on those sandwiches!

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Oz panned the Inflation Reduction Act, though details on his position about its Medicare prescription drug provisions are scant. —Maya Goldman, Axios, 20 Nov. 2024

The Hollywood pair, though celebrated regulars on the red carpet, are notoriously quiet about their personal lives, so some details and photos of their properties are scant. —Joyce Chen, Architectural Digest, 19 Nov. 2024

Adverb

How come scant few of America’s leading art museums own or display his work? —Chadd Scott, Forbes, 30 May 2021

Verb

By scanting this complexity, Remnick leaves readers with a less than totally satisfying depiction of Obama's encounter with the world of black Chicago. —Walter Russell Mead, Foreign Affairs, 1 July 2010

Trump captured attention his first time around, in part, by talking about issues that other candidates scanted: the threat of China, chaos at the southern border. —Nr Editors, National Review, 22 Dec. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Old Norse skamt, neuter of skammr short

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adverb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1580, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

scant

1 of 2 adjective

ˈskant 

1

a

: barely or scarcely enough

especially : not quite coming up to a certain measure

a scant cup of milk

b

: lacking in size or quantity : meager, scanty

scant growth

2

: having a small or short supply

scant of breath

scantly adverb

scantness noun

scant

2 of 2 verb

: skimp sense 1, stint