Thesaurus

scarce

adjective

Synonyms and Antonyms of scarce

1 less plentiful than what is normal, necessary, or desirable

food was a bit scarce last winter

Synonyms of scarce

exiguous, hand-to-mouth, light, meager (or meagre), niggardly, poor, scant, scanty, skimp, skimpy, slender, slim, spare, sparing, sparse, stingy

Words Related to scarce

deficient, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, short, wanting

bare, bare-bones

least, littlest, lowest, mere, minimal, slightest

slight, small, thin

barren, infertile, sterile, unfruitful, unproductive

Phrases Synonymous with scarce

thin on the ground

Near Antonyms of scarce

adequate, enough, satisfactory, sufficient, tolerable

fat, fecund, fertile, fruitful, prolific, rich

lavish, luxuriant

blooming, bursting, flourishing, proliferative, swarming, teeming, thriving

excess, extra, surplus

Antonyms of scarce

abundant, ample, bountiful, copious, generous, liberal, plenteous, plentiful

2 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 of scarce

deficient, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, low, short, shy, wanting

Words Related to scarce

substandard, unacceptable, unsatisfactory

hand-to-mouth, lean, light, meager (or meagre), niggardly, poor, scant, scanty, skimp, skimpy, slender, slim, spare, sparse, stingy

bare, mere, minimum

slight, small

Near Antonyms of scarce

abundant, ample, bounteous, bountiful, copious, generous, liberal, plenteous, plentiful, plentitudinous

enlarged, expanded, supplemented

abounding, overflowing, teeming

satisfactory, tolerable

lavish, luxuriant, rich

big, considerable, hefty, jumbo, king-size (or king-sized), large, largish, oversize (or oversized), sizable (or sizeable), substantial, super

Antonyms of scarce

adequate, enough, sufficient

Synonym Discussion of 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

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Dictionary: Definition of scarce Spanish Central: Translation of scarce Nglish: Translation of scarce for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of scarce for Arabic speakers

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Thesaurus

scarce

Synonyms and Antonyms of scarce

Synonym Discussion of scarce

Learn More about scarce

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