scarce

1 of 2

adjective

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 occurredJohn McPhee
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
High-Potential, Untapped Markets I’m inspired by what others ignore—those quiet gaps where attention is scarce but potential is high, like a niche market with growing demand but little innovation. Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025 Evidence for the exact state of health of prehistoric humans is scarce. Literary Hub, 12 June 2025 Aside from mining for lunar water, these efforts might involve the extraction of an isotope called helium-3, which is scarce on Earth but is in relatively large abundance on the moon. Julian Dossett, Space.com, 12 June 2025 Vocal skeptics among Trump’s senior policy officials include Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon’s top policy adviser, who cautioned last year that submarines were a scarce, critical commodity, and US industry could not produce enough to meet American demand. Reuters, CNN Money, 11 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for scarce

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of scarce was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Scarce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scarce. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

scarce

adjective
ˈske(ə)rs,
ˈska(ə)rs
scarcer; scarcest
: lacking in quantity or number : not plentiful
food is scarce
scarceness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on scarce

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