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

Despite the impact that social connection has on our well-being, research on adult friendships is scant, and even harder to come by when considering friendships between men and women. —Deborah Netburn, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2024

Specifics have been scant and the overhaul is still in draft form, but Lara expects the process to be complete by the end of the year. —Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2024

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