scarce

adjective

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\ ˈskers

scarcer; scarcest

Definition of scarce

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

2 : intentionally absent made himself scarce at inspection time

scarce

adverb

Definition of scarce (Entry 2 of 2)

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

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Choose the Right Synonym for scarce

Adjective

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 The tight, winding street circuits make overtaking opportunities scarce and the one-day format for qualifying and racing is a brutal test of mental and physical endurance for the drivers. — Amanda Davies, CNN, "Germany's 'Big Four' compete for the first time in motorsport history," 21 Nov. 2019 But jobs have been scarce and wages low ever since the cotton mills closed in the 1990s, creating stress and anxiety for many residents. — Christine Vestal, USA TODAY, "Cheap and powerful 'meth 2.0' is ravaging communities and slowly killing its victims," 2 Nov. 2019 In a city where land is scarce and much of life is vertically stacked, people have to find ways of inhabiting the spaces in between. — Bo Seo, The Atlantic, "Parasite and the Curse of Closeness," 22 Oct. 2019 One of the central lessons of economics is that resources are scarce and every policy involves trade-offs. — Allison Schrager, Quartz, "In defense of economics," 24 Sep. 2019 Renewable energy is still too scarce and intermittent for now. — Robert F. Service, Science | AAAS, "Can the world make the chemicals it needs without oil?," 19 Sep. 2019 The weather over the last few years has not been favorable to bluebonnet seed production, so the seed is scarce and relatively expensive this fall. — Calvin Finch, ExpressNews.com, "Now is the time to spread wildflower seed in your San Antonio garden," 6 Sep. 2019 The brewing tanks haven’t arrived, decorations are scarce and the food stalls are empty, but the indoor foodie village known as Sistrunk Marketplace and Brewery is finally taking shape. — Phillip Valys, sun-sentinel.com, "A sneak peek at Fort Lauderdale’s first food hall," 15 Aug. 2019 As the years went on, housing in Cambridge grew scarcer and more expensive, and the idea that a woman could be expected to find a place to rent within a couple of months, which had been reasonable in the seventies, became completely unrealistic. — Larissa Macfarquhar, The New Yorker, "The Radical Transformations of a Battered Women’s Shelter," 13 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'scarce.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.