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 findings reshape current understanding of Y-chromosome loss in cancer development, suggesting that as the Y-chromosome becomes increasingly scarce in tissues, tumors become progressively more likely. — Mike McRae 20, New Atlas, 21 Sep. 2026

But the Times analysis of data obtained under public records requests shows that conventional property insurance continues to grow more scarce across large areas of the state, including the Inland Empire, where FAIR Plan enrollment is soaring. — Paige St. John, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2026

But wherever credible revenue, savings or other financial value exists, scarce public dollars should help bring much larger pools of private capital to the table. — Marcene Mitchell, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2026

The hurdles force charities to spend scarce staff time chasing funds intended for their missions and, occasionally, walk away from the gift altogether, the experts said. — Hayley Cuccinello, CNBC, 17 Sep. 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