scarce

1 of 2

adjective

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 occurredJohn McPhee
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
When football resumed, money was scarce and plans for a new bridge into Salford and a car park were delayed. Michael Walker, The Athletic, 15 Mar. 2025 The bottom line: Fintech IPOs have been scarce, but a successful Klarna listing could lead to more. Ryan Lawler, Axios, 14 Mar. 2025 Drinking from a canteen is best left to back country adventures where resources are scarce, for the rest of us the Vinglacé line-up is a welcome solution for wine lovers and really anyone who cares about beverage purity. Follow me on LinkedIn. Katie Kelly Bell, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025 Majors said he's been taking meetings on a superhero film project, though details were scarce. Michileen Martin, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for scarce

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of scarce was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Scarce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scarce. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

scarce

adjective
ˈske(ə)rs,
ˈska(ə)rs
scarcer; scarcest
: lacking in quantity or number : not plentiful
food is scarce
scarceness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on scarce

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