scarce

¹scarce

adjective \ˈskers\

scarc·erscarc·est

Definition of SCARCE

1

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

2

: intentionally absent <made himself scarce at inspection time>

— scarce·ness noun

Examples of SCARCE

1. Food was getting scarce during the drought.
2. <food was a bit scarce last winter>

Origin of SCARCE

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: 14th century

Related to SCARCE

Synonyms

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

Antonyms

abundant, ample, bountiful, copious, generous, liberal, plenteous, plentiful

Related Words

deficient, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, short, wanting; bare, bare-bones; least, littlest, lowest, mere, minimal, slightest; slight, small, thin; barren, infertile, sterile, unfruitful, unproductive

Near Antonyms

adequate, enough, satisfactory, sufficient, tolerable; fat, fecund, fertile, fruitful, prolific, rich; lavish, luxuriant; blooming, bursting, flourishing, proliferative, swarming, teeming, thriving; excess, extra, surplus

See Synonym Discussion at infrequent

²scarce

adverb

Definition of SCARCE

: scarcely, hardly <scarce was independence half a century old, when a…split occurred — John McPhee>

Examples of SCARCE

1. I could scarce believe what I was hearing.

First Known Use of SCARCE

15th century