Synonyms of scarce

scarce

adjective

ˈskers 

1

as in sparse

less plentiful than what is normal, necessary, or desirable

food was a bit scarce last winter

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sparse
• poor
• lacking
• scanty
• insufficient
• scant
• meagre
• meager
• lowest
• inadequate
• skimpy
• light
• spare
• small
• sparing
• stingy
• short
• slender
• minimal
• exiguous
• mere
• deficient
• thin on the ground
• slim
• skimp
• thin
• hand-to-mouth
• least
• wanting
• slightest
• sterile
• littlest
• bare
• bare-bones
• unfruitful
• barren
• unproductive
• slight
• infertile

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• abundant
• plentiful
• sufficient
• adequate
• ample
• enough
• generous
• copious
• satisfactory
• liberal
• bountiful
• rich
• tolerable
• fertile
• prolific
• fruitful
• plenteous
• fat
• lavish
• extra
• excess
• bursting
• fecund
• luxuriant
• surplus
• flourishing
• thriving
• proliferative
• teeming
• blooming
• swarming

2

as in lacking

not coming up to an expected measure or meeting a particular need

help is always scarce in the resort town during the busy summer season

Synonyms & Similar Words

• lacking
• insufficient
• low
• inadequate
• short
• deficient
• wanting
• sparse
• shy
• unacceptable
• scanty
• scant
• unsatisfactory
• meager
• poor
• substandard
• skimpy
• spare
• meagre
• small
• stingy
• slender
• lean
• light
• mere
• slim
• minimum
• bare
• skimp
• hand-to-mouth
• slight

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• adequate
• sufficient
• enough
• abundant
• plentiful
• ample
• copious
• generous
• bountiful
• liberal
• plenteous
• bounteous
• enlarged
• supplemented
• satisfactory
• expanded
• large
• tolerable
• rich
• overflowing
• considerable
• substantial
• plenitudinous
• lavish
• sizeable
• teeming
• big
• sizable
• super
• luxuriant
• abounding
• oversized
• hefty
• oversize
• jumbo
• largish
• king-size
• king-sized

Synonym Chooser

How is the word scarce distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of scarce are infrequent, rare, sporadic, and uncommon. While all these words mean "not common or abundant," scarce implies falling short of a standard or required abundance.

jobs were scarce during the Depression

When might infrequent be a better fit than scarce?

In some situations, the words infrequent and scarce are roughly equivalent. However, infrequent implies occurrence at wide intervals in space or time.

infrequent family visits

In what contexts can rare take the place of scarce?

The meanings of rare and scarce largely overlap; however, rare suggests extreme scarcity or infrequency and often implies consequent high value.

rare first editions

When is it sensible to use sporadic instead of scarce?

While the synonyms sporadic and scarce are close in meaning, sporadic implies occurrence in scattered instances or isolated outbursts.

sporadic cases of influenza

When would uncommon be a good substitute for scarce?

While in some cases nearly identical to scarce, uncommon suggests a frequency below normal expectation.

smallpox is now uncommon in many countries

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of scarce

Lots of the critical metals currently used are expensive, scarce or geopolitically sensitive: cobalt, nickel and lithium. —Joe Frank Bozeman Iii, The Conversation, 6 Aug. 2025

There’s no formal diagnosis, data are scarce, and no clear protocols for treatment exist. —Robert Hart, Time, 5 Aug. 2025

In the nineteenth century, fishers became scarce due to forest logging, clearing for agriculture, and overexploitation. —Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 5 Aug. 2025

Aid trucks stopped coming and ingredients that had once been scarce became almost impossible to find. —Hamada Shaqoura, Time, 7 Aug. 2025