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Scant vs Sparse - What's the difference?

scant | sparse |

As adjectives the difference between scant and sparse

is that scant is very little, very few while sparse is having widely spaced intervals.

As verbs the difference between scant and sparse

is that scant is to limit in amount or share; to stint while sparse is to scatter; to disperse.

As a noun scant

is a block of stone sawn on two sides down to the bed level.

As an adverb scant

is with difficulty; scarcely; hardly.

scant

English

Adjective

(er)
  • Very little, very few.
    • "After his previous escapades, Mary had scant reason to believe John."
  • Not full, large, or plentiful; scarcely sufficient; scanty; meager; not enough.
    • a scant''' allowance of provisions or water; a '''scant pattern of cloth for a garment
  • * Ridley
    • His sermon was scant , in all, a quarter of an hour.
  • Sparing; parsimonious; chary.
  • * Shakespeare
    • Be somewhat scanter of your maiden presence.

    Synonyms

    * few, little, slight * (l)

    Antonyms

    * ample, plenty

    Derived terms

    * scanty

    Related terms

    * scantily

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To limit in amount or share; to stint.
    • to scant''' someone in provisions; to '''scant ourselves in the use of necessaries
  • * Shakespeare
    • Scant not my cups.
  • * Francis Bacon
    • where man hath a great living laid together and where he is scanted
  • * Dryden
    • I am scanted in the pleasure of dwelling on your actions.
  • To fail, or become less; to scantle.
    • The wind scants .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (masonry) A block of stone sawn on two sides down to the bed level.
  • (masonry) A sheet of stone.
  • (wood) A slightly thinner measurement of a standard wood size.

    • Quotations

    * (English Citations of "scant")

    Adverb

    (-)
  • With difficulty; scarcely; hardly.
  • * Fuller
    • So weak that he was scant able to go down the stairs.
    (Francis Bacon)

    Anagrams

    * *

    sparse

    English

    Adjective

    (er)
  • Having widely spaced intervals.
  • Not dense; meager.

    • Related terms

    * thin out

    Derived terms

    * sparse array * sparse index * sparse matrix

    Verb

    (spars)
  • (obsolete) To scatter; to disperse.
    • (Spenser)

    Anagrams

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