scarce
[adjective]
Synonyms: rare, few, few and far between, infrequent, in short supply, insufficient, uncommon

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Antonyms: abundant
Contrasted words: adequate, sufficient, unwanting
Related Idioms: scarce as ice water in hell, scarcer than hen's teeth, seldom met with
Related Words: curtailed, shortened, truncated

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English Thesaurus: rare, scarce, not common, infrequent, be few and far between, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. scarce¹ /skeəs $ skers/ adjective (comparative scarcer, superlative scarcest)
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old North French; Origin: escars, from Vulgar Latin excarpsus 'pulled out', from Latin excerpere; ⇒ excerpt]

1. if something is scarce, there is not very much of it available:
Food was often scarce in the winter.
There was fierce competition for the scarce resources.

2. make yourself scarce informal to leave a place, especially in order to avoid an unpleasant situation:
I decided it was time to make myself scarce.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. scarce² adverb literary
scarcely:
He could scarce believe it.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

scarce
adj.
VERBS be, seem | become, grow Medical supplies were growing scarce.
remain
ADV. extremely, particularly, very | increasingly Skilled workers were becoming increasingly scarce.
pretty, rather, relatively, somewhat Money was somewhat scarce after the war.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

scarce
adjective
BAD: If you are interested in scarce birds, you should visit the bird garden.
GOOD: If you are interested in rare birds, you should visit the bird garden.
BAD: Chocolate was very rare during the war.
GOOD: Chocolate was very scarce during the war.

Usage Note:
See note at RARE 1 (rare)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

rare not existing in large numbers or in large amounts:
The law prevents the export of rare birds.
The plates are quite rare. Only about a hundred were made.
scarce not available in large enough numbers or amounts at a particular time – used especially about things people need:
After the war, food and clothing were scarce.
People are having to compete for scarce resources.
not common [not before noun] fairly rare:
Silver coins of this period are not common, and could be very valuable.
infrequent formal not happening often:
As time went on, her visits became more and more infrequent.
be few and far between to not be common – especially much less common than you might expect:
Luckily, accidents such as these are few and far between.
Bargains are, unfortunately, few and far between.
be (something of) a rarity if something or someone is a rarity, it is surprising to find one, because very few exist:
Women are still something of a rarity in senior management positions.
be like hen’s teeth informal to be extremely rare:
Good Greek restaurants are like hen’s teeth around here.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲