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
Synonyms
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
Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 1 July 2024
But the procedure was largely halted here years earlier by a series of laws designed to make abortions scarce.
—Mckenzie Beard, Washington Post, 28 June 2024
Its birth is seen as the second coming of the White Buffalo Calf Woman, who first appeared to the Lakota thousands of years ago when the buffalo were scarce and the people were hungry.
—Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC News, 26 June 2024
Further replication is needed, and cross-cultural studies using non-Western participants are scarce.
—Christian B. Miller, CNN, 25 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for scarce 
Adjective
The system also needs fuel, which is scarce during emergencies.
—Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 1 July 2024
But the procedure was largely halted here years earlier by a series of laws designed to make abortions scarce.
—Mckenzie Beard, Washington Post, 28 June 2024
Its birth is seen as the second coming of the White Buffalo Calf Woman, who first appeared to the Lakota thousands of years ago when the buffalo were scarce and the people were hungry.
—Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC News, 26 June 2024
Further replication is needed, and cross-cultural studies using non-Western participants are scarce.
—Christian B. Miller, CNN, 25 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for scarce
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scarce.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near scarce
Cite this Entry
“Scarce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scarce. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share