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

Example Sentences

To their initial astonishment, they have attracted a far wider viewership spanning all ages, even followers who hitherto had only scant interest in ballet.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

It continued: "Wales' existing national parks have suffered years of funding cuts. Surely the priority should be to properly fund those before stretching scant resources even further?"

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

They dropped to a scant 190,370 last week and touched a five-month low.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 19, 2026

All three major indexes fell more than 1% for a second consecutive week as there were scant signs of de-escalation.

From Barron's • Mar. 15, 2026

Joe noted the scant dozen of shame faced houses scattered in the sand and palmetto roots and said, “God, they call this a town? Why, ’tain’t nothing but a raw place in de woods.”

From "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston

Related Words

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