scarce

1 of 2

adjective

ˈskers 

scarcer; scarcest

1

: deficient in quantity or number compared with the demand : not plentiful or abundant

2

: intentionally absent

made himself scarce at inspection time

scarceness noun

scarce

2 of 2

adverb

: scarcely, hardly

scarce was independence half a century old, when a … split occurred

—John McPhee

Synonyms

Adjective

• exiguous
• hand-to-mouth
• light
• meager
• meagre
• niggardly
• poor
• scant
• scanty
• skimp
• skimpy
• slender
• slim
• spare
• sparing
• sparse
• stingy

Choose the Right Synonym for scarce

infrequent, uncommon, scarce, rare, sporadic mean not common or abundant.

infrequent implies occurrence at wide intervals in space or time.

infrequent family visits

uncommon suggests a frequency below normal expectation.

smallpox is now uncommon in many countries

scarce implies falling short of a standard or required abundance.

jobs were scarce during the Depression

rare suggests extreme scarcity or infrequency and often implies consequent high value.

rare first editions

sporadic implies occurrence in scattered instances or isolated outbursts.

sporadic cases of influenza

Examples of scarce in a Sentence

Adjective

Food was getting scarce during the drought.

food was a bit scarce last winter

Adverb

I could scarce believe what I was hearing.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Abortions in Missouri have been banned in nearly every circumstance since 2022, but they were largely halted years earlier by a series of laws seeking to make abortions scarce. —Bram Sable-Smith | Kff Health News, ABC News, 6 June 2024

Some children have died of acute malnutrition in the past because food is scarce, said Ladi Abdullahi, who trains the women. —Eli Joseph, Fortune, 6 June 2024

Everything from whales to penguins – and the humans that depend on fish caught in the Southern Hemisphere – could be harmed as ice becomes more scarce near Antarctica. —Andre Mouchard, Orange County Register, 24 May 2024

Many are the consequence of years of poor water management compounded by scarce rains. —Somini Sengupta César Rodríguez, New York Times, 18 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English scars, from Anglo-French eschars, escars narrow, stingy, deficient, from Vulgar Latin *excarpsus, literally, plucked out, past participle of Latin excerpere to pluck out — more at excerpt

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing scarce

• make oneself scarce

Kids Definition

scarce

adjective

ˈske(ə)rs,

ˈska(ə)rs

scarcer; scarcest

: lacking in quantity or number : not plentiful

food is scarce

scarceness noun