First Known Use: 14th century
Dictionary
1scarce
adjective \ˈskers\
: very small in amount or number : not plentiful
scarc·erscarc·est
Full Definition of SCARCE
1
: deficient in quantity or number compared with the demand : not plentiful or abundant
2
: intentionally absent <made himself scarce at inspection time>
— scarce·ness noun
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Origin of SCARCE
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
Related to SCARCE
Synonym Discussion of 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>.
2scarce
adverb
: almost not at all : scarcely or hardly
Full Definition of SCARCE
See scarce defined for English-language learners
First Known Use of SCARCE
15th century
SCARCE Defined for Kids
1scarce
adjective \ˈskers\
scarc·erscarc·est
Definition of SCARCE for Kids
: not plentiful <Food was scarce during the war.>
2scarce
adverb
Definition of SCARCE for Kids
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