Meaning
3 sensesNot full, large, or plentiful; scarcely sufficient; scanty; meager.
a scant allowance of provisions or water; a scant pattern of cloth for a garment
Sparing; parsimonious; chary.
Slightly diminished; just short of the amount described.
a scant cup of sugar
- less than the correct or legal or full amount often deliberately so
Examples
7 sentencesYour message was scant on details.
ruВаше сообщение было скудно на детали. — marafon
The volunteer firefighters fought the blaze bravely, with scant regard for their own safety.
They are scant of money.
Make a thick cream sauce with one heaping tablespoonful each of butter and flour, and 1 scant cup of milk.
Unfortunately, scant attention is being paid by the outside world to the appalling predicament of the civilians trapped in these areas.
Translations
1 languagesOrigin
Adjective and determiner from Middle English scant, from Old Norse skamt, neuter of skammrAdjective and determiner from Middle English scant, from Old Norse skamt, neuter of skammr (“short”), from Proto-Germanic *skammaz (“short”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ḱem- (“mutilated, hornless”). Verb from Middle English scanten, from the adjective. Noun and adverb from Middle English scant, from the adjective.
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Forms
scanter, scantestSynonyms
5 synonymsWord family
4 related wordsLessons for this word
2 lessons- A2Comparatives — Because it has a comparative form
- A2Superlatives — Because it has a superlative form