Definition of scarce
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
nounRead the Latest from M-W
Examples of scarce in a Sentence
Food was getting scarce during the drought.
food was a bit scarce last winter
Origin and Etymology 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
Synonym Discussion of scarce
scarce
Definition of scarce
Examples of scarce in a Sentence
I could scarce believe what I was hearing.
15th Century
First Known Use of scarce
15th century
SCARCE Defined for English Language Learners
scarce
playDefinition of scarce for English Language Learners
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: very small in amount or number : not plentiful
scarce
Definition of scarce for English Language Learners
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: almost not at all : scarcely or hardly
SCARCE Defined for Kids
Definition of scarce for Students
scarcer
;scarcest
: not plentiful Food was scarce during the war.
Learn More about scarce
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for scarce Spanish Central: Translation of scarce Nglish: Translation of scarce for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of scarce for Arabic speakers
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