scarce
scarcer; scarcest
If something is scarce, there isn't much of it around. Crops are scarce after a long drought, or you might find babysitters scarce if your kids are a nightmare to watch.
Scarce, meaning “restricted in quantity,” can oddly be traced back to the same Latin word that spawned the word "excerpt." Use the word scarce when you want to say that something is hard to find or practically missing. When you know you’re about to be asked to do something unpleasant, like wash the dishes or take out the trash, go ahead and “make yourself scarce,” which means to be elusive or get out of there fast.
-
deficient in quantity or number compared with the demand“fresh vegetables were scarce during the drought”
-
Synonyms:
-
rare
not widely distributed
-
tight
affected by scarcity and expensive to borrow
-
meager, meagerly, meagre, scrimpy, stingy
deficient in amount or quality or extent
-
Antonyms:
-
abundant
present in great quantity
-
abounding, galore
existing in abundance
-
ample, copious, plenteous, plentiful, rich
affording an abundant supply
-
copious, voluminous
large in number or quantity (especially of discourse)
-
easy
obtained with little effort or sacrifice, often obtained illegally
-
exuberant, lush, luxuriant, profuse, riotous
produced or growing in extreme abundance
-
thick
abounding; having a lot of
-
long
having or being more than normal or necessary:"long on brains"
-
overabundant, plethoric, rife
excessively abundant
-
plentiful
existing in great number or quantity
-
rampant
(of a plant) having a lush and unchecked growth
-
rank
growing profusely
-
superabundant
most excessively abundant
-
teeming
abundantly filled with especially living things
-
torrential
pouring in abundance
-
verdant
characterized by abundance of verdure
-
ample
more than enough in size or scope or capacity
-
rich
possessing material wealth
- show more antonyms...
-
rare
-
only a very short time before
Vocabulary lists containing scarce
This true story chronicles Theodore Roosevelt's 1913 expedition into the Amazon jungle with a team of men including his son Kermit and renowned Brazilian explorer Cândido Mariano da Silva Rondon.
This list covers "The Three Gifts," "Stone Soup," and "The Flying Schoolgirl."
Learn these essential words that you'll encounter in literature, textbooks, class discussions, and more.
Look up scarce for the last time
Close your vocabulary gaps with personalized learning that focuses on teaching the words you need to know.
