Little vs. Scant — What's the Difference?

Small in size, amount, or degree (often used to convey an appealing diminutiveness or express an affectionate or condescending attitude)

Barely sufficient or adequate

A small amount of

Provide grudgingly or in insufficient amounts

Used to emphasize how small an amount is

Barely sufficient

A small amount of

Falling short of a specific measure

Used to emphasize how small an amount is

Inadequately supplied; short

To a small extent

To give an inadequate portion or allowance to

Only to a small extent; not much or often (used for emphasis)

To limit, as in amount or share; stint

Small in size

To deal with or treat inadequately or neglectfully; slight.

Small in quantity or extent

Not full, large, or plentiful; scarcely sufficient; scanty; meager.

Short in extent or duration; brief

Sparing; parsimonious; chary.

Unimportant; trivial

(transitive) To limit in amount or share; to stint.

Narrow; petty

(intransitive) To fail, or become less; to scantle.

Having scant power or influence; of minor status

Very little, very few.

Being at an early stage of growth; young

A small piece or quantity.

Younger or youngest. Used especially of a sibling

(uncommon) Scarcity; lack.

Not much; scarcely

(masonry) A block of stone sawn on two sides down to the bed level.

Not in the least; not at all

(masonry) A sheet of stone.

A small quantity or amount

(wood) A slightly thinner measurement of a standard wood size.

Something much less than all

With difficulty; scarcely; hardly.

A short distance or time

Not full, large, or plentiful; scarcely sufficient; less than is wanted for the purpose; scanty; meager; not enough; as, a scant allowance of provisions or water; a scant pattern of cloth for a garment.

Small in size.

Sparing; parsimonious; chary.

Insignificant, trivial.

To limit; to straiten; to treat illiberally; to stint; as, to scant one in provisions; to scant ourselves in the use of necessaries.

(offensive) Used to belittle a person.

To cut short; to make small, narrow, or scanty; to curtail.

Very young.

To fail, or become less; to scantle; as, the wind scants.

(of a sibling) Younger.

In a scant manner; with difficulty; scarcely; hardly.

(often capitalized) Used with the name of a place, especially of a country or its capital, to denote a neighborhood whose residents or storekeepers are from that place.

Scantness; scarcity.

(derogatory) To imply that the inhabitants of the place have an insular attitude and are hostile to those they perceive as foreign.

Work hastily or carelessly; deal with inadequately and superficially

Having few members.

Limit in quality or quantity

Operating on a small scale.

Supply sparingly and with restricted quantities;

Short in duration; brief.

Less than the correct or legal or full amount often deliberately so;

Small in extent of views or sympathies; narrow; shallow; contracted; mean; illiberal; ungenerous.

Not much.

Not at all.

Not much, only a little: only a small amount (of).

Not much; not a large amount.

A small amount.

A child; particularly an infant.

A newly initiated member of a sorority, who is mentored by a big.

The participant in ageplay who acts out the younger role.

(countable) One who has mentally age regressed to a childlike state.

Small in size or extent; not big; diminutive; - opposed to big or large; as, a little body; a little animal; a little piece of ground; a little hill; a little distance; a little child.

Short in duration; brief; as, a little sleep.

Small in quantity or amount; not much; as, a little food; a little air or water.

Small in dignity, power, or importance; not great; insignificant; contemptible.

Small in force or efficiency; not strong; weak; slight; inconsiderable; as, little attention or exertion;little effort; little care or diligence.

Small in extent of views or sympathies; narrow; shallow; contracted; mean; illiberal; ungenerous.

That which is little; a small quantity, amount, space, or the like.

A small degree or scale; miniature.

In a small quantity or degree; not much; slightly; somewhat; - often with a preceding it.

A small amount or duration;

Limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent;

(quantifier used with mass nouns) small in quantity or degree; not much or almost none or (with `a') at least some;

Of short duration or distance;

Not fully grown;

(informal terms) small and of little importance;

(of a voice) faint;

Younger brother or sister;

Lowercase;

Small in a way that arouses feelings (of tenderness or its opposite depending on the context);

Not much;