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View synonyms for

scarce

[skairs]

adjective

scarcer, scarcest 
  1. insufficient to satisfy the need or demand; not abundant.

    Meat and butter were scarce during the war.

    Synonyms:
    Antonyms:
  2. seldom met with; rare.

    a scarce book.

    Synonyms: ,


adverb

  1. scarcely.

scarce

/ ɛə /

adjective

  1. rarely encountered

  2. insufficient to meet the demand

  3. informalto go away, esp suddenly

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adverb

  1. archaicscarcely

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • scarceness noun
  • unscarce adjective
  • unscarcely adverb
  • unscarceness noun
  • ˈԱ noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of scarce1

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English scars, from Old North French (e)scars, from Vulgar Latin excarpsus (unrecorded) “plucked out,” from Latin excerptus; excerpt
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Word History and Origins

Origin of scarce1

C13: from Old Norman French scars, from Vulgar Latin excarpsus (unattested) plucked out, from Latin excerpere to select; see excerpt
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. make oneself scarce,

    1. to depart, especially suddenly.

    2. to stay away; avoid.

In addition to the idiom beginning with scarce, also see make oneself scarce.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Information on Saturday's incident is scarce as the internet has been down in Gaza for more than two days.

From

Three toddlers and their mothers are being discharged - back to the community where food is scarce and conditions are deteriorating.

From

“The Wild Robot Escapes” finds Roz navigating the dangers of urban life and humans with guns, while a toxic tide in “The Wild Robot Protects” leaves the animals scrambling for ever more scarce resources.

From

That will raise costs as labor becomes scarce, while undocumented workers might go “underground” where they are less easily detectable, he said.

From

It was also a vital source of protein for poorer communities, particularly in areas like Wales and the Alps, where meat was scarce.

From

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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Scarborough lilyscarce as hen's teeth