scant

1 of 3

adjective

ˈskant How to pronounce scant (audio)
Synonyms of scantnext
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

Verb

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 
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
But after two years and scant reforms, Ratlieff filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the City of Fort Lauderdale and its police department. —Sarah Blaskey, Miami Herald, 23 May 2024 The premium price stems from the scant availability of SAF, paired with the high costs of producing and blending the sustainable fuel. —Miranda Lipton, Discover Magazine, 23 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for scant 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of scant was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near scant

scansorial barbet

scant

scanties

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Scant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scant. Accessed 28 May. 2024.

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Kids Definition

scant

1 of 2 adjective
ˈskant How to pronounce scant (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on scant

Nglish: Translation of scant for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of scant for Arabic Speakers

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