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 of scarce

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

That dynamic has left asset prices elevated and opportunities scarce. —Yun Li, CNBC, 20 Apr. 2026

European and Asian allies, cut out of decision-making before the war began, have been left competing with one another for scarce energy deliveries, with some turning to America's adversaries for supplies. —Eyck Freymann, Time, 17 Apr. 2026

Since this is a scarce resource, most NICUs reserve it for the smallest preterm newborns and cannot provide it throughout an infant’s entire hospital stay. —Alexander Crider, Chicago Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026

If fertilizer prices remain expensive or scarce, food prices could accelerate even if South African produces a surplus. —Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 17 Apr. 2026

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