Need another word that means the same as “scarce”? Find 21 synonyms and 30 related words for “scarce” in this overview.
The synonyms of “Scarce” are: in short supply, short, scant, scanty, meagre, sparse, hard to find, hard to come by, not enough, insufficient, deficient, inadequate, lacking, wanting, rare, few and far between, thin on the ground, barely, hardly, scarcely, just
According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “scarce” as an adjective can have the following definitions:
| deficient | Falling short of some prescribed norm. Deficient in common sense. |
| few and far between | A quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by `a’; a small but indefinite number. |
| hard to come by | Very strong or vigorous. |
| hard to find | Not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure. |
| in short supply | Holding office. |
| inadequate | Not sufficient to meet a need. An inadequate income. |
| insufficient | Of a quantity not able to fulfill a need or requirement. There was insufficient evidence to convict him. |
| lacking | Nonexistent. There was something lacking in our marriage. |
| meagre | (of something provided or available) lacking in quantity or quality. A meagre diet of bread and beans. |
| not enough | Sufficient for the purpose. |
| rare | (of meat) cooked a short time; still red inside. What is so rare as a day in June. |
| scant | Barely sufficient or adequate. A scant cup of sugar. |
| scanty | Small or insufficient in quantity or amount. They paid whatever they could out of their scanty wages to their families. |
| short | Tending to crumble or break into flakes due to a large amount of shortening. They have been backed at short odds to win thousands of pounds. |
| sparse | Scanty; in short supply. Areas of sparse population. |
| thin on the ground | Lacking excess flesh-Shakespeare. |
| wanting | Nonexistent. The English batting technique has been found wanting. |
According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “scarce” as an adverb can have the following definitions:
| barely | In a sparse or scanty way. It was barely 5 a m. |
| hardly | No or not (suggesting surprise at or disagreement with a statement. The little house in which he lived was hardly bigger than a hut. |
| just | Indicating exactness or preciseness. They were just interested in making money. |
| scarcely | Almost not. They could scarcely all be wrong. |
| adequacy | The quality of being sufficient for the end in view. He questioned the adequacy of the usual sentimental interpretation of the Golden Rule. |
| barely | Only a very short time before. She nodded barely able to speak. |
| coincidentally | Happening at the same time. The report should be published coincidentally with the letter. |
| curio | A rare, unusual, or intriguing object. They had such fun over the wonderful box of curios that Jack had sent from India. |
| deficient | Insufficient or inadequate. A deficient education. |
| hardly | Only a very short time before. The party had hardly started when the police arrived. |
| inadequate | Of insufficient quantity to meet a need. Inadequate funding. |
| infrequently | Not often; rarely. A storage area for infrequently used items. |
| insufficient | Of a quantity not able to fulfill a need or requirement. Insufficient funds. |
| limited | Not unlimited. The legislation has had a limited effect. |
| meager | Deficient in amount or quality or extent. Meager resources. |
| meagerly | Deficient in amount or quality or extent. These voices are meagerly represented at the conference. |
| measly | Contemptibly small in amount. A measly tip. |
| occasional | Occurring from time to time. An occasional worker. |
| paucity | The presence of something in only small or insufficient quantities or amounts. A paucity of information. |
| pittance | A pious bequest to a religious house or order to provide extra food and wine at particular festivals, or on the anniversary of the benefactor’s death. He paid his workers a pittance. |
| rare | Recurring only at long intervals. He plays with rare sensitivity. |
| rarefaction | A decrease in the density of something. The cord has undergone rarefaction. |
| rarely | Not often. We rarely met. |
| rareness | Noteworthy scarcity. |
| rarity | Something unusual — perhaps worthy of collecting. The rarity of the condition. |
| scant | Deal with inadequately; neglect. The press regularly scants a host of issues relating to safety and health. |
| scanty | Short underpants for women or children (usually used in the plural. Her dress was scanty and revealing. |
| seldom | Not often. He was seldom absent. |
| sometimes | On certain occasions or in certain cases but not always. Sometimes I want to do things on my own. |
| sparse | Thinly dispersed or scattered. Areas of sparse population. |
| sparsely | In a thinly dispersed manner; in small numbers. A sparsely populated region. |
| sporadic | Recurring in scattered and irregular or unpredictable instances. Sporadic fighting broke out. |
| sporadically | In a sporadic manner. He worked sporadically at part time jobs. |
| subsist | Be attributable to. The peace subsisted between 1303 and 1324. |
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