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

• sparse
• poor

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

Accurate data is scarce, given that members of groups rarely self-identify. —R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025

Dholes are dogs and communal hunters, typically traveling in packs of up to 30 animals but can hunt alone or in pairs when prey is scarce, according to the study. —Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 27 June 2025

View Recipe 05 of 12 Wacky Cake Wacky cake is a Depression-era dessert that doesn't require any milk, eggs, or butter when those ingredients were scarce. —Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 June 2025

Supply for three- or four-bedroom rentals — big enough for their children to stay over on the weekends, and maybe grand enough to impress for someone newly back on the dating market — can be scarce. —Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 20 June 2025

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