scarce
(adjective) deficient in quantity or number compared with the demand; “fresh vegetables were scarce during the drought”
barely, hardly, just, scarcely, scarce
(adverb) only a very short time before; “we hardly knew them”; “had scarcely rung the bell when the door flew open”; “would have scarce arrived before she would have found some excuse to leave”- W.B.Yeats
hardly, scarcely, barely, scarce
(adverb) almost not; “he hardly ever goes fishing”; “he was scarce sixteen years old”; “they scarcely ever used the emergency generator”; “I can hardly hear what she is saying”; “she barely seemed to notice him”; “we were so far back in the theater, we could barely read the subtitles”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
scarce (comparative scarcer, superlative scarcest)
Uncommon, rare; difficult to find; insufficient to meet a demand.
(archaic) Scantily supplied (with); deficient (in); used with of.
• (uncommon, rare): geason, infrequent, raresome; see also rare
scarce (not comparable)
(now literary, archaic) Scarcely, only just.
• Craces, arcsec
Source: Wiktionary
Scarce, a. [Compar. Scarcer; superl. Scarcest.] Etym: [OE. scars, OF. escars, eschars, LL. scarpsus, for L. excerptus, p. p. of excerpere to pick out, and hence to contract, to shorten; ex (see Ex-) + carpere. See Carpet, and cf. Excerp.]
1. Not plentiful or abundant; in small quantity in proportion to the demand; not easily to be procured; rare; uncommon. You tell him silver is scarcer now in England, and therefore risen one fifth in value. Locke. The scarcest of all is a Pescennius Niger on a medallion well preserved. Addison.
2. Scantily supplied (with); deficient (in); -- with of. [Obs.] "A region scarce of prey." Milton.
3. Sparing; frugal; parsimonious; stingy. [Obs.] "Too scarce ne too sparing." Chaucer. To make one's self scarce, to decamp; to depart. [Slang]
Syn.
– Rare; infrequent; deficient. See Rare.
Scarce, Scarce"ly, adv.
1. With difficulty; hardly; scantly; barely; but just. With a scarce well-lighted flame. Milton. The eldest scarcely five year was of age. Chaucer. Slowly she sails, and scarcely stems the tides. Dryden. He had scarcely finished, when the laborer arrived who had been sent for my ransom. W. Irwing.
2. Frugally; penuriously. [Obs.] haucer.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
25 December 2024
(adjective) having or exhibiting a single clearly defined meaning; “As a horror, apartheid...is absolutely unambiguous”- Mario Vargas Llosa
International Coffee Day (September 29) is an occasion to promote and celebrate coffee as a beverage, with events occurring in places across the world. A day to promote fair trade coffee and raise awareness for the coffee growers’ plight. Other countries celebrate this event on October 1.
