scantness

7.7

A small amount of something that is not enough

noun
/ˈskæntnəs/

: escasez

The scantness of food during the winter made life extremely difficult for the villagers.

Examples

The scantness of funding for the program resulted in fewer opportunities for students to participate.
Her essay was criticized for the scantness of supporting evidence.
Due to the scantness of resources, the project was postponed until next year.
The scantness of resources led to a decline in productivity.
Her report highlighted the scantness of evidence in the case.
The scantness of water in the drought-stricken area raised concerns about the agricultural yield.
During the winter months, the scantness of fresh produce made it challenging for families to maintain a balanced diet.

Synonyms

sparseness

vsscantness

1 6.8

A small number or amount that is spread out

refers more generally to insufficient amount rather than physical scattering

meagerness

vsscantness

1 7.0

A very small amount of something that is not enough

is the general state of having insufficient amount or quantity

spareness

vsscantness

1 8.1

A bare, simple style with very few details

focuses more broadly on being insufficient in amount or quantity

thinness

vsscantness

1 4.3

Not being full or dense, like a small crowd and a small number of hairs

uses the same insufficiency idea but not only about density

leanness

vsscantness

1 4.4

A small amount of something that is not enough

is the general notion of insufficiency without stress on lean quality

poorness

vsscantness

1 5.3

A state of having low quality or too little of something

focuses on lacking amount or quantity rather than poor quality

scantiness

vsscantness

8.8

A small amount of something that is not enough

covers that same insufficiency in amount or quantity

meagreness

vsscantness

8.1

A very small amount of something that is not enough

speaks more generally about insufficient quantity rather than richness

exiguity

vsscantness

Formal

9.9

A very small amount that is not enough

is the basic idea of not having enough amount or quantity

Antonyms

abundance

91 3.3

A large amount of something, more than you need

sufficiency

20 5.9

Enough of something for a particular purpose

How Scarce

scantness

7.7

dearth

16 8.5

paucity

Formal

7 8.6

scarcity

29 4.4

shortage

253 2.7

Surface Forms

scantness singular

scantnesses plural

Morphology

scantness = scant (transparent) = scant + ness

A straightforward nominalization of the adjective 'scant' with the productive suffix '-ness' creating the meaning 'state of being scant'.

Etymology

Scantness comes from the simple word scant, which originally meant 'short' or 'not enough'. The ending -ness turns this into a 'state', so scantness is the 'state of having too little' or 'meagerness', which is why we use it for an insufficient amount of something.