scarce
Americanadjective
-
insufficient to satisfy the need or demand; not abundant.
Meat and butter were scarce during the war.
- Synonyms:
- deficient
- Antonyms:
- abundant
-
seldom met with; rare.
a scarce book.
- Synonyms:
- infrequent, uncommon
adverb
idioms
adjective
-
rarely encountered
-
insufficient to meet the demand
-
informal to go away, esp suddenly
adverb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of scarce
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English scars, from Old North French (e)scars, from Vulgar Latin excarpsus (unrecorded) “plucked out,” from Latin excerptus; see excerpt
Explanation
If something is scarce, there isn't much of it around. Crops are scarce after a long drought, or you might find babysitters scarce if your kids are a nightmare to watch. Scarce, meaning “restricted in quantity,” can oddly be traced back to the same Latin word that spawned the word "excerpt." Use the word scarce when you want to say that something is hard to find or practically missing. When you know you’re about to be asked to do something unpleasant, like wash the dishes or take out the trash, go ahead and “make yourself scarce,” which means to be elusive or get out of there fast.
Vocabulary lists containing scarce
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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List 3
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100 SAT words Beginning with "S"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Scarce and unaffordable housing is consistently a top concern for Spaniards and represents a stubborn challenge in one of the world's most dynamic developed economies.
From Barron's • Feb. 16, 2026
Scarce resources are still being allocated, only by different rules.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 8, 2026
Scarce housing in the secret city forced the family to live in Albuquerque, and sedans filled with FBI agents religiously trailed him on his hourlong commute.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 22, 2023
Scarce housing boosts property values and tax coffers.
From New York Times • Jul. 1, 2023
Scarce had they drunk when she flew after them with her long stick and shut them in a pigsty— bodies, voices, heads, and bristles, all swinish now, though minds were still unchanged.
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
