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

The scientists theorize that the two types of crystal formed under the same temperatures and pressures in the blast, but in areas where copper was readily available, the quasicrystal formed, and where copper was scarce, the clathrate resulted. —Clara Moskowitz, Scientific American, 11 May 2026

Venus Soleil Medina Ferrer, one of the female officers detained in the case, testified that women were held in extreme overcrowding with spoiled food, scarce water and almost no medical attention. —Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 11 May 2026

This being Year One of the rebuild, the internal options to fill that out are scarce, barring an absolute best-case scenario trajectory. —Dom Luszczyszyn, New York Times, 11 May 2026

Good answers seem scarce, reinforcing his frustration. —John R. Bolton, Washington Post, 11 May 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