scarce
/ˈskɛɚs/ adjective C1- Uncommon, rare; difficult to find; insufficient to meet a demand. · By the end of the 20th century elephants had become scarce even in Africa.
- Scantily supplied (with); deficient (in); used with of. · The project failed due to the scarce resources in the national market.
Comparative scarcer · Superlative scarcest
From the library
Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think.
And the man, as the story goes, was so crazed with fear that he could scarce speak, but at last he said that he had indeed seen the unhappy maiden, with the hounds upon her track.
“Oh, water is even more scarce than wine, your excellency,—there has been such a drought.”
“We’re not in the habit of shutting people up in dark damp dungeons,” said Marilla drily, “especially as they’re rather scarce in Avonlea.
Learn scarce in real texts
With a free account, hover any word in the library for its meaning, hear it read aloud, save words for review timed to your memory, and see how much of each book you already know.