scarce

scarce — adjective

1. A scarce resource or item exists or is obtainable only in very small numbers rel

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

A scarce resource or item exists or is obtainable only in very small numbers relative to need, so that there is far less of it than most people would want.

Example

Fresh water became scarce in the village after three months without rain.

become + scarce (linking verb + adjective)

During the war, basic medicines were so scarce that doctors had to reuse needles.

so + scarce + that-clause

Common collocations
  • become scarce
  • grow scarce
  • run scarce
  • increasingly scarce
  • extremely scarce
  • scarce resources
  • scarce goods
  • scarce water
  • scarce supplies
  • scarce jobs
Synonyms
  • rare

    Rare emphasises infrequency or unusualness; scarce focuses on insufficient supply relative to demand. A rare stamp is hard to find because few exist; a scarce medicine is hard to obtain because demand exceeds supply.

  • limited

    Limited is a broader term that can mean restricted by policy, rules, or capacity. Scarce implies a more natural or systemic shortage and usually carries a stronger sense of urgency.

  • insufficient

    Insufficient stresses that the amount is not enough for a specific purpose. Scarce focuses on general availability rather than adequacy for a particular goal.

  • sparse

    Sparse describes thin distribution over an area — e.g. sparse hair, sparse population. Scarce refers to total quantity, not how spread out something is.

Antonyms
  • abundant

    Something abundant exists in large quantities — the opposite of scarce.

  • plentiful

    Plentiful suggests there is more than enough of something, directly contrasting with scarce.

Grammar Patterns

be + scarce

become / grow / run + scarce

scarce + noun (formal)

Usage Note

Frequently used predicatively after a linking verb (be, become, grow, run). Attributive use before a noun — e.g., 'scarce resources' — is more common in formal writing than in everyday speech.

Common Mistakes

The water is very scarce in the desert.
Water is scarce in the desert.
'scarce' already implies a severe shortage, so intensifiers like 'very' are often redundant, though not grammatically incorrect.
She scarce had any money left.' (adjective where adverb is needed)
She had scarce money left.' or 'She scarcely had any money left.
When used as an adjective, 'scarce' describes a noun; the adverb form 'scarcely' is needed to modify a verb.
Idioms

make yourself scarce

idiom

to leave a place quickly or stay away, especially to avoid meeting someone or dealing with an uncomfortable situation.

When Felix saw his former boss enter the cafe, he decided to make himself scarce.

The children made themselves scarce as soon as they heard their mother's angry voice.

scarce — adverb

Word family

  • scarcely
    adverbB2
  • scarcity
    nounB2
  • scarceness
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Scarce, rare, limited, insufficient, and sparse all describe a lack of something, but they emphasise different aspects. Scarce highlights a supply that falls short of demand — jobs are scarce when many people need work but few positions exist. Rare stresses unusualness or infrequency: a rare bird is seen only occasionally, whether people want to see it or not. Limited suggests a boundary imposed by rules, capacity, or design — a limited-edition print is restricted by choice, not by natural shortage. Insufficient measures adequacy for a specific purpose: food may be insufficient for ten people even if the total amount is not scarce. Sparse describes thin distribution across space: a sparse population means few people per square kilometre, not necessarily a small total number. To illustrate: 'Water is scarce during a drought' (supply problem), 'A rare coin is hard to find' (infrequency), 'We have insufficient data to decide' (adequacy for purpose), and 'The audience was sparse' (thinly spread).

rare ↗limited ↗insufficient ↗sparse

Common collocations

Nouns

  • scarce resources
  • scarce goods
  • scarce water
  • scarce food
  • scarce supplies
  • scarce jobs

Adverbs

  • extremely scarce
  • increasingly scarce
  • relatively scarce
  • desperately scarce

Phrases

  • become scarce
  • grow scarce
  • run scarce
  • make scarce (informal: go away)

Etymology

Vulgar LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word scarce comes from Old French eschars meaning 'sparing, frugal, stingy,' which in turn comes from Vulgar Latin *excarpsus, the past participle of *excerpere ('to pluck out, select'). The original meaning was 'carefully selected' or 'rare because sorted out,' which shifted over time to 'hard to find because there is little of it.' The adverb sense developed in Middle English, paralleling the meaning of 'scarcely.'