scant

American  

[skant] / skænt /

adjective

scanter, scantest

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 byof ).

   scant of breath.

   Synonyms:

   deficient, wanting, lacking, short

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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 British  

/ 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. 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

Other Word Forms

• scantly
  adverb
• scantness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of scant

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

Explanation

Scant is an adjective that means "a tiny amount," like your scant attendance at practice this week that results in being benched from the big game. Scant is also a verb, that means "to supply sparingly" — don't scant with the brownies, or I will keep asking for more. Scant also means "to deal with inadequately or carelessly." When you scant the reports on homelessness, they are so superficial on data that they don't reflect the real problem. Scant comes from the Old Norse word skamt, meaning "short, brief."

Example Sentences

What is made crystal clear from these latest accusations is that the DOJ has shown that it has scant interest in what makes a good doctor.

From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026

Add March and February together, and employment rose by a scant 23,000 on average in the two months.

From MarketWatch • May 7, 2026

Closing these institutions means students are slowly ceasing to overpay for scant added value.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026

Joao Pedro's stoppage-time overhead kick did save Chelsea the humiliation of losing six matches in a row without scoring for the first time in their history, but it was scant consolation.

From BBC • May 4, 2026

He flew right out at me, landed on my shoulder, gave me a lecture that I shall never forget, and vanished under the scant cover of trillium and bloodroot leaves.

From "My Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

Related Words

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