Meaning
scarce, poor, meager
- scarce, scanty, scant, poor, little, limited, short
- feeble, weak
- low-quality
- light (wind)
In a sentence
Le piogge sono state scarse in questa regione durante l'estate.
Rainfall was scarce in this region during the summer.
La qualità di questo caffè è scarsa.
The quality of this coffee is poor.
Con questo vento scarso, usciamo lo stesso?
With this light wind, are we going out anyway?
Word forms (4)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| scarso | masculine · singular |
| scarsa | feminine · singular |
| scarsi | masculine · plural |
| scarse | feminine · plural |
Usage notes
- Use scarso after a noun for quantity: tempo scarso, risorse scarse. For personal ability, prefer mediocre, debole, or bravo poco.
- Before a number, scarso means just under: due chili scarsi = slightly less than two kilos.
- For quality, scarso is common in speech and mildly negative. In formal writing, insufficiente or di bassa qualità may sound more precise.