scant
Americanadjective
-
barely sufficient in amount or quantity; not abundant; almost inadequate.
to do scant justice.
-
limited; meager; not large.
a scant amount.
- Synonyms:
- restricted, small, scanty
-
barely amounting to as much as indicated.
a scant two hours; a scant cupful.
-
having an inadequate or limited supply (usually followed byof ).
scant of breath.
verb (used with object)
adverb
adjective
-
scarcely sufficient; limited
he paid her scant attention
-
(prenominal) slightly short of the amount indicated; bare
a scant ten inches
-
having a short supply (of)
verb
-
to limit in size or quantity
-
to provide with a limited or inadequate supply of
-
to treat in a slighting or inadequate manner
adverb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
have scantedperfect
-
has scantedperfect 3rd person singular
-
have been scantingperfect progressive
-
scantssingular 3rd person
-
am scantingprogressive 1st person singular
-
scantingparticiple
-
are scantingprogressive
-
has been scantingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
is scantingprogressive 3rd person singular
Past
-
had scantedperfect
-
was scantingprogressive singular
-
had been scantingperfect progressive
-
scantedparticiple
-
scantedsimple
-
were scantingprogressive plural
Future
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."
Vocabulary lists containing scant
"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act I
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This Week in Words: October 21- 27, 2018
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30 GRE Words Beginning with "Q" "R" and "S"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I could watch this kind of guilt-ridden post-apocalyptic movie for hours; instead, this lasts a scant 82 minutes.
From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026
But details were scant, including on the critical issue of price.
From Barron's • May 19, 2026
Xi leading him on the tour was yet another moment for the cameras in a two-day trip heavy on pageantry but scant on details about policy agreed by both sides.
From BBC • May 15, 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
But after eighteen years of Gogol, two months of Nikhil feel scant, inconsequential.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
