scarce

[skairs] / skɛərs /

ADJECTIVE

insufficient, infrequent

Synonyms

STRONGEST

deficient limited rare scant scanty sparse sporadic

WEAK

at a premium failing few few and far between in short supply occasional seldom seldom met with semioccasional short shortened shy truncated uncommon unusual wanting

Antonyms

STRONGEST

adequate ample plentiful satisfactory sufficient

WEAK

abundant frequent

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.

Replacing these specialized locations was difficult, making hunter groups more vulnerable when key resources became scarce.

From Science Daily • Jun. 11, 2026

These stocks are priced on the assumption that memory stays scarce.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 8, 2026

Rubbish bins are notoriously scarce in Japan, partly due to safety concerns after past terror attacks in the country and abroad.

From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026

Humans are still better than AI at securing scarce access to company management teams and quizzing them in-person on granular aspects of the business.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 31, 2026

But alas, leisure time proves scarce here for valiant men.

From "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys

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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