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

British and American soldiers plundered that area of New Jersey so heavily that all provisions became scarce. —John Laycock, Baltimore Sun, 27 Dec. 2024

There’s a vein of sadness running through it, as talented women never achieve stardom and changes in taste and production have made even session work more scarce. —Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 26 Dec. 2024

Changing The Traditional Mindset Even in Japan, sushi chefs are becoming scarce as the younger generations are more reluctant to spend years patiently training themselves under sushi masters. —Akiko Katayama, Forbes, 21 Dec. 2024

In the years after World War II, when building materials like wood and metal were scarce, concrete was abundant, cheap, and durable. —Elizabeth Fazzare, Architectural Digest, 20 Dec. 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