What does "scarce" mean?
Uncommon, rare; difficult to find; insufficient to meet a demand.
Scarce
/ˈskɛəs/ adj, adv, name
adj, adv, name ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Uncommon, rare; difficult to find; insufficient to meet a demand.
- Grammar: scarce is listed as adj, adv, name.
- Nearest alternatives: a small number, almost unheard-of, at a premium, barely.
- Useful contrasts: abundant, ample, ample evidence.
- Usage evidence: Food is still scarce in the region.
How to use "scarce"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "scarce" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "scarce" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "scarce" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "scarce" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "scarce" is acting as adj, adv, name in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "a small number" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "scarce", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Adjective
- 1 Uncommon, rare; difficult to find; insufficient to meet a demand.
"By the end of the 20th century elephants had become scarce even in Africa."
- 2 Scantily supplied (with); deficient (in); used with of.
"The project failed due to the scarce resources in the national market."
Adjective
- 1 deficient in quantity or number compared with the demand wordnet
Adverb
- 1 Scarcely, only just. archaic, literary, not-comparable
"The Virgin quite for her requeſt / The God that ſits at marriage feaſt; / He at their invoking came / But with a ſcarce-wel-lighted flame; / And in his Garland as he ſtood, / Ye might diſcern a Cipreſs bud."
Adverb
- 1 only a very short time before wordnet
- 2 almost not wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Food is still scarce in the region."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "scarce"?
Common synonyms include: a small number, almost unheard-of, at a premium, barely, barely, cheeseparing.
How do you use "scarce" in a sentence?
Food is still scarce in the region.
How do you pronounce "scarce"?
Pronounced /ˈskɛəs/.
Etymology
From Middle English scars, scarse, from Old Northern French scars, escars ("sparing, niggard, parsimonious, miserly, poor"; > French échars, Medieval Latin scarsus (“diminished, reduced”)), of uncertain origin. One theory is that it derives originally from a Late Latin *scarpsus, *excarpsus, a participle form of *excarpere (“take out”), from Latin ex- + carpere; yet the sense evolution is difficult to trace. Compare Middle Dutch schaers (“scarce”), Middle Dutch schaers (“a pair of shears, plowshare”), scheeren (“to shear”). The standard pronunciation having the /ɛə(ɹ)/ vowel instead of expected /ɑː(ɹ)/ is due to a tendency for Old and Middle French preconsonantal /ar/ to be borrowed as Middle English /aːr/ that only survives in this word and dace in the modern standard, but is more frequent in Early Modern English and traditional dialects; compare Scots gairden (“garden”), lairge (“large”).